HERE, MATHEMATICAL THINKING INTERTWINES WITH TEAMWORK
We cordially invite all interested students to the
International Student Team Competition in Mathematics,
organized by the Institute of Mathematics at the University of Silesia in Katowice and the Upper Silesian Branch of the Polish Mathematical Society.
The competition takes place annually over three days in the first half of November. This year, the competition will be held in Katowice, Poland
from November 6th to 8th, 2026.
What is the ISTCiM competition?
The goal of the Competition is to maintain a lively interest in mathematics, support mathematically gifted students, foster friendly relations between university students and academics, and develop interpersonal skills in solving mathematical problems.
It is open to any student at any stage of their higher education (bachelor's, master's, and doctoral studies up to the third year) who is interested in mathematics.
Competition Procedure
The individual part takes place on the first day. Participants are given 5 problems to solve within 4 hours.
The team part takes place on the second day. Each team works in a separate seminar room with a blackboard at their disposal. In this stage, the score is calculated for the entire team, rather than reflecting individual contributions alone.
Competition Schedule
All times are given in Central European Time (CET, UTC+1), which applies in Poland from October 25th, 2026.
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Friday, November 6th
- 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Registration — Main Building of the Faculty of Humanities, Uniwersytecka str. 4
- 9:45 a.m. Welcome address, review of the Rules, and official opening of the Competition — Andrzej Pawlikowski Hall (B 1.1), Main Building of the Faculty of Humanities, Uniwersytecka str. 4
- 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Individual Competition — lecture halls at Uniwersytecka str. 4 and Bankowa str. 14
- 3:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Jury Meeting — Uniwersytecka str. 4, room B 0.21
-
Saturday, November 7th
- 9:55 a.m. Team assembly — Main entrance to the Faculty of Humanities, Uniwersytecka str. 4
- 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Team Competition — assigned seminar rooms at Uniwersytecka str. 4 and Bankowa str. 14
- 10:15 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Jury Meeting — Uniwersytecka str. 4, room B 0.21
- 7:15 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Individual appeals — Uniwersytecka str. 4, room B 0.23
-
Sunday, November 8th
- 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Jury Meeting — Uniwersytecka str. 4, room B 0.21
- 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Team appeals — Uniwersytecka str. 4, room B 0.23
- 12:00 a.m. – 1:45 p.m. Award Ceremony and Closing of the Competition — Andrzej Pawlikowski Hall (B 1.1), Main Building of the Faculty of Humanities, Uniwersytecka str. 4
Important Information
Participation in person (in Katowice) is free of charge. Registration of participants and teams will open on September 11th, 2026, and close on October 30st, 2026.
The official language of the Competition is English.
Further rules are available in the Contest Rules.
Similar competitions in Europe
- Vojtěch Jarník International Mathematical Competition held annually in Ostrava (Czech Republic), usually at the turn of March and April.
- International Mathematics Competition for University Students held (also annually) in the summer in Blagoevgrad (Bulgaria).
- Vienna Mathematics Competition held (also annually) in the summer in Blagoevgrad (Bulgaria).
- Open Mathematical Olympiad for University Students held annually in April in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan).
