Mathematics and Statistics Research Challenge
The School of Mathematics and Statistics Research Challenge provides school-aged students with the opportunity to understand what it means to conduct mathematics and solve mathematical problems.
The School of Mathematics and Statistics Research Challenge provides school-aged students with the opportunity to understand what it means to conduct mathematical and statistical research.
Students will be given a set of open-ended research problems from which they choose one. They can then employ methods used by mathematical researchers to investigate their problem; they can gather data, simplify, visualise, hypothesise, conjecture and prove. The aim of the challenge is to allow students to use their creativity and problem-solving skills to make choices about how best to ask and answer questions about their chosen project. As teamwork is a valuable and essential skill for research, students are encouraged to participate as part of a team which will provide opportunities to reason and work collaboratively with others. Students may participate individually if they wish.
The challenge is free to enter and no prior registration is required. The steps and information to enter the challenge are in the FAQ and Submission tabs.
If you are interested in the 2025 Research Challenge, please provide your details using the link below. You will be sent the problem booklets, updates and announcements, and details about information sessions when they become available.
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Students must be enrolled in an Australian or New Zealand government or non-government school, or registered home school. The challenge is open to three age categories:
- Senior (AU: Year 10 – 12, NZ: Year 11 – 13),
- Intermediate (AU: Year 7 – 9, NZ: Year 8 – 10), and
- Junior (AU: Year 5 – 6, NZ: Year 6 – 7).
If a team includes students from different age categories, then they must enter in the category of the oldest student. Schools are encouraged to enter multiple teams; students are limited to one entry in the challenge.
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The following links will allow you to download a flyer that you may want to use to advertise the challenge to students in your organisation along with a brochure with a high level summary of the challenge:
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- Problem Booklets available – April 24 2025
- Information session (attendance is optional) – May, June, July 2025
- Submissions open – May 2025
- Submissions close – 11:59 PM Wednesday 6 August 2025 (Melbourne time, UTC +10:00)
- Finalist teams* notified– October 2025
- Certificates issued – October - November 2025
- Finals Presentation* – November 2025
* Report projects only
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The Outreach Team will be facilitating information sessions (attendance is optional) to answer your questions about the program. The information session will provide an overview of the challenge and reflect the information available in the FAQ and the Submission Guidelines. There will be time for questions about logistical/administrative aspects of the program. The information session is NOT intended to provide guidance on the research projects.
These sessions will take place over Zoom, the links will be sent out to those who have provided their details using the link above. If you wish to attend an information session, you can choose ONE from the following options:
Information Session 1
Date: Thursday 1 May 2025
Time: 4 PM – 4:30 PM (Melbourne time)Information Session 2
Date: Monday 2 June 2025
Time: 4 PM – 4:30 PM (Melbourne time)Information Session 3
Date: Tuesday 1 July 2025
Time: 4 PM – 4:30 PM (Melbourne time)
Each team selects one from a set of research problems to work on; there are different problems for each age category. Students should present their project and findings through one of the following:
- Report (A4 or slideshow), or
- Visual display (single-page poster or short video).
All work must be the sole product of the students on a team.
Report projects:
Teams with the highest quality projects will be invited to participate in the Research Challenge Finals Presentations which will be held at the University of Melbourne Parkville campus. Travel subsidies may be made available for teams that need to travel from remote, regional, interstate or international locations. Arrangements will also be made for live stream presentations for teams unable to travel.
Each team will have a 15-minute slot in which to present a brief synopsis of their project and to answer questions from the judging panel and other academics. Further details about the Finals will be provided to finalists closer to date.
Visual display projects:
Teams with the highest quality visual display projects will be awarded a cash prize.
Prizes and Certificates
All teams who submit a valid research project will receive a certificate for participation, merit, high commendation, or distinction. The highest quality projects in each age category will receive awards and cash prizes according to the following table:
| Project Type | Award | Number Awarded | Cash Prize Amount* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Display | Shortlist | 3 to 6 | 100 |
| Top | 1 | 250 | |
| Report | Finalist | 3 to 6 | 200 |
| Top | 1 | 500 |
*Amounts are awarded per person in the team.
Additional prizes may be awarded, such as:
- Top project from a regional/remote team
- Top non-finalist project in state/territory (report only)
- Other prizes to be advised
Judging
Visual display projects will be judged separately to report projects. The criteria for judging will vary depending on the age category and the complexity of the research project. However, whenever explicit mathematics is involved, mathematical accuracy is vitally important, as is the correct use of mathematical language. We strongly encourage teams to approach their project with mathematical reasoning and generalisation where possible. In addition to these, the judging criteria include elements for originality, creativity, extension, communication and presentation.
This page contains the submission guidelines and requirements. Please read all the information on this page before submitting an entry. The online submission form is at the bottom of the page.
Overview
- The submission deadline is 11:59 PM Wednesday 6 August 2025 (Melbourne time, UTC +10:00); entries received past this time will not be considered.
- To enter the challenge, a research project must be submitted via the online submission form.
- We recommend that you complete the submission form using a desktop computer.
- The submission form can be completed by a School Contact (including home school) or student team.
- Each student is limited to one entry into the challenge.
- If you are a School Contact submitting multiple entries; you must complete the submission form again for a different entry.
- We recommend that you avoid delaying the submission until the day of the deadline to avoid issues and allow time for changes if needed.
Submission Requirements
Project Type
- The person completing the online submission form must declare the type of project being entered: report (A4, slideshow) or visual display (single-page poster, short video). The two types of entries will be judged separately, with prizes awarded for the best projects of each type.
School Contact Details
- The School Contact must provide their full name, email, contact number, and school (including home school).
Student Team Details
- All students in the team must provide their full name and year level.
- The team must nominate one student as the Corresponding Author and provide that person’s email.
Declaration
- A declaration form must be completed and uploaded as part of the submission process.
- The declaration requires signatures from the School Contact and the students in the team, declaring that the submitted project is the students' own work.
- If a team comprises students from different schools, one declaration form must be completed and uploaded for each school.
- If Section B of the declaration form is not signed by a School Contact, the entry will not be eligible to be shortlisted for awards and prizes.
- If the declaration form is not adequately filled out, the entry will not be considered.
Download the declaration form (PDF 59.3 KB)
Notes
- If a submission is missing the required information (contact details, declaration form, project files), it will not be considered.
- We recommend that you gather the contact details for all relevant persons and project files well ahead of the submission deadline.
- Only files submitted through the online submission form will be considered for judging.
- Do not send files to the Outreach Team via email; these will not be considered.
- See below for further details regarding file upload requirements.
File Upload Requirements
- The online submission form will accept the following types of project outputs with specific file extensions:
- Report (A4 or slideshow): .pdf
- Single-page poster: .pdf
- Code/programming script: .pdf
- Video: .mp4, .mov, .avi, .flv, .mkv, .wmv
- Audio: .m4a, .mp3, .mp4, .wav, .wma
- If the project is a report that comprises sections involving code/programming script; it can be included in the report as part of the appendices and does not need to be uploaded separately.
- Any code or programming script should be presented in PDF format, clearly labelled with a page break between separate scripts.
- There is a size limit of 100 MB for each file.
- Only one file is permitted for each type of project output.
- All files must be related to the project.
- File extensions which will not be accepted by the submission form include: .rar, .zip, .exe, .ppt, .pptx, .pptm, .pps, .ppsx, .ppsm, .xls, .xlsx, .xlsm, .csv, .txt, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .htm, .html, .xlm, .doc, .docx, .r, .py, .m, .c, .cs, .java, .pl, .sh.
- It is the students’ and School Contact’s responsibility to ensure:
- the project files comply with the above requirements,
- the project files are converted to the acceptable file extensions if necessary, and
- all uploaded files are not corrupt (unable to be opened).
- Files which do not comply with the file requirements will not be accepted by the submission form.
- Files which cannot be opened will not be considered.
- Files not received via the submission form will not be considered.
Page/Length Requirements
- Video and audio files must not exceed 5 minutes in length.
- Reports (A4 or slideshow) must not exceed 20 pages (or slides) in length. This limit excludes any tables, figures, appendices or references. There is no minimum page requirement.
- Please exercise reasonable judgment when deciding on the size of other types of project outputs.
Updating a Submitted Entry
- It is the School Contact and students’ responsibility to ensure all details and files are correct. A confirmation email will be sent to both the School Contact and Corresponding Author upon completion of the submission form. Check junk/spam/promotions folder if the confirmation email is not in the inbox.
- If you need to make changes to a submitted entry, email us (ms-outreach@unimelb.edu.au) with as much detail as possible and we will send you a link to update the submission. DO NOT email any files to us; they will not be considered.
- If you make multiple submissions for the same entry (same project and team); the Outreach Team will process the most recently submitted entry.
Submission Form
The online submission form will close at 11:59 PM Wednesday 6 August 2025 (Melbourne time, UTC +10:00). Please ensure you have read the above information fully before submitting an entry.
This page contains answers to frequently asked questions about the challenge. If your question is not answered, please contact us at ms-outreach@unimelb.edu.au.
Administration and Joining
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$0 AUD
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The problem booklets will be released at the launch of the challenge; you will get a copy if you sign up to receive updates. The key dates can be found on the home page.
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Entering the challenge is simple and does not require prior registration. The steps are:
- Find/form a team of up to 3 students.
- Select a topic from the appropriate problem booklet.
- Conduct research and create a project output (report or visual display).
- Submit the research output by the deadline (see 'Submissions' tab).
The 'provide your details' form on the ‘Home’ tab is not an official registration. You provide your details so that we can send you the problem booklets, updates, and announcements.
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Yes.
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Please refer to the Important Dates section of the Home page.
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No. However, prizes and certificates will only be awarded to teams which have officially submitted.
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No. However, the shortlisted projects will be published on the Outreach website upon conclusion of the challenge.
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You are expected to give the problem booklets to your students and sign a section of the declaration form stating that you believe the project outputs to be the students' original work. You are not expected or permitted to help with the projects in a technical capacity.
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For the purposes of this program a School Contact is one of:
- A registered teacher employed at the same school of a student submitting a research project.
- A responsible adult acting as a home school instructor for a student submitting a research project. This adult must hold a valid registration with the home education authority of their state, territory or region.
As part of auditing, the School Contact may be asked to provide proof of registration.
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Yes. These entries are welcomed, provided the projects are in English. However, these entries will only be eligible for certificates and not for any cash prizes.
Teams
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No, schools can enter as many teams as they like.
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No. Each student is limited to one entry into the challenge.
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Yes. See the submission page for information on additional requirements.
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Yes, but the project must be chosen from the problem booklet for the age category of the oldest student in the team.
Submissions
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The exact procedure for submitting the projects can be viewed at the submission details page.
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The exact procedure for submitting the projects can be viewed at the submission details page.
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The exact procedure for submitting the projects can be viewed at the submission details page.
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Yes. However, you must ensure that the Sections A and C (School Details and Team Details) of the declaration form have been filled in. If Section B (School Contact Declaration) has not been filled and signed, the entry will not be eligible to be shortlisted for awards and prizes but can be awarded one of: Participation, Merit, High Commendation or Distinction.
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The research challenge is a school program. To be shortlisted for awards and prizes, a School Contact must declare the originality of the students’ work by signing Section B of the declaration form. Projects without a School Contact's details and signature at Section B of the declaration form can be submitted but will not be eligible to be shortlisted for awards and prizes.
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These will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us at:
ms-outreach@unimelb.edu.au. -
Please refer to the guidelines and requirements set out on the submission page of the program website.
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Sign the appropriate section in the declaration form and then have your students submit their own projects along with the signed declaration form to the online submission form.
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There are links available to download examples of high quality projects in the Resources part of the website.
Finalists and Finals Presentation (report projects only)
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The judging criteria will vary depending on the age category and the complexity of the research project. However, whenever explicit mathematics is involved, mathematical accuracy is vitally important, as is the correct use of mathematical language. In addition to these, the judging criteria include elements for originality, creativity, communication and presentation.
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Finalists are invited to present their research projects at the Finals Presentation which will be held at the University of Melbourne Parkville Campus.
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The Finals Presentation will usually take place in November each year and is only for report projects. There is no Finals Presentation for visual display projects.
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Finalists unable to attend campus will be able to participate in the Finals virtually.
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The Top Team is chosen by a panel of judges comprising academics in the School of Mathematics and Statistics and members of the Outreach Team. The judging panel will select the Top Team for each age category based on presentation quality, clarity, and communication.
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We will only publish your first initial and last name, along with the school with your consent. (E.g. J. Smith - University of Melbourne)
Prizes and Certificates
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Teams that submit a valid research project will be awarded one of the following certificates:
- Participation
- Merit
- High Commendation
- Distinction
Information about other awards is available in the 'Format' tab.
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See the table in the 'Format' tab.
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The prize money will be awarded in the form of an e-gift card which will be sent to students directly.
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- Non-finalist teams will receive digital certificates; these will be sent to the School Contact.
- Finalist teams will receive physical certificates at the Finals Presentation.
Introduction
This page contains a number of resources to aid students and teachers throughout the challenge. We have an article that provides guidance to teachers on supervising mathematics research; students may also find it useful. Data referenced in the research problem booklets can be downloaded here, as well as exemplar projects from previous years.
Conducting mathematics research
Mathematics research (like all research) can be fun, interesting and you can learn a lot from it. Sometimes starting the research can seem daunting, especially if it is your first time. To help teachers and students get started with research, we prepared an article containing guidance on breaking down a problem, thinking in different ways, and communicating mathematics.
It’s important to recognise that making progress (sometimes even just understanding the problem can take a lot of work!) is the goal, not “finishing” a project. Research is rarely “finished”: try to keep in mind that presenting progress is just as much of an accomplishment.
2025 research problem data
Below is a list of the data samples and data sets referenced in the current research problem booklets. You may download the data associated with your chosen topic.
J–08 Groceries
groceries_sample_small.csv (CSV 5.1 KB)
groceries_sample_large.csv (CSV 16.7 KB)
I–05 Bobbi's Book Club
bobbi_book_club_(2015-19).csv (CSV 22.9 KB)
bobbi_book_club_(2009-19).csv (CSV 49.1 KB)
I–09 Coin Sequence
coin_flips.csv (CSV 608 Bytes)
S–04 Clinical trial
Exemplar projects
The highest quality projects each year are recognised with awards and cash prizes. The entries that received awards and prizes in the 2024 program are listed below. The Finalist* projects and the problem booklets from that year are available for download. Students and teachers may use them to get a sense for the quality of outstanding projects.
Download 2024 Finalist Projects (ZIP 39.6 MB)
Senior finalists
- Perth Modern School (WA) – R. Oliveiro, J. Yip, C. Yu
- Nossal High School (VIC) – R. Yao
- Carlingford High School (NSW) – A. Mukherjee, E. Diu, P. Mehta
- Haileybury College (VIC) – C. Antonmeryl, D. Premaratne, E. Zhu
Intermediate finalists
- St Andrew's Cathedral School (NSW) – L. Shi
- Scotch College (VIC) – F. Fu, W. Xuan
- Adelaide Botanic High School (SA) – M. Ding
- Darwin Middle School (NT) – R. Li
- Scotch College (VIC) – R. Zhuang, J. Yin, P. Liu
Junior finalists
- Strathcona Baptist Girls' Grammar (VIC) – M. Healey
- Yackandandah Primary School (VIC) – B. Hardisty, A. Glanville
- Bellevue Hill Public School (NSW) – B. Newman-Davie, E. Pilsky
- Riverwalk Primary School (VIC) – S. Bhattacharya
- Aberfeldie Primary School & Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School (VIC) - S. Flowerdew, A. Nguyen
Outstanding projects (reports and posters)
- Armidale City Public School (NSW) – J. Matthews, S. Hoque
- Northcross Intermediate School (NZ) – YH Chen, YX Chen
- Lysterfield Primary School (VIC) – A. Ivanoff
- Good Shepherd Catholic School (WA) – P. Le, L. Scanlon, T. Nguyen
- Bendigo South East 7-10 Secondary College (VIC) – J. Trinidad, L. Vu, H. Fletcher
- Glenunga International High School (SA) – V. Nguyen, T. Modi, K. Roy
- St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls (WA) – A. Binder, A. Wates
- Darwin Middle School (NT) – N. Tripura
- St Columba's College (VIC) – J. Manalil
- Immanuel Lutheran College (QLD) – O. Cameron
- The Rockhampton Grammar School (QLD) – N. Dhamsania, Z. Lekha, E. Dennis
- Darwin High School (NT) – T. Ullas, S. Soora
- Newington College (NSW) – E. Jia, A. Xu
*Finalists are selected from report-based project entries.
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