Math Competition
Put your mathematical thinking to the test through real-world challenges that sharpen problem-solving, critical thinking, and logical reasoning skills.
Point of Contact
Prepared Competition
This competition requires thorough advanced preparation. While the actual judging and live performance will take place onsite on the day of the event, participants must design, practice, and finalize their entries beforehand according to the provided guidelines.
RIT Dubai hosts a Mathematics Competition that invites high school students to explore the role of mathematics in real-world applications. As a foundation for fields such as science, engineering, and economics, mathematics plays an essential role across a wide range of academic disciplines and degree programs. The competition aims to foster an interest in mathematics while developing students’ problem-solving, critical thinking, and logical reasoning skills, and providing an opportunity to showcase exceptional mathematical talent.
Participants are required to complete a mathematical modeling project that applies key mathematical concepts to solve or analyze a real-world problem. The project must meet both of the following criteria:
01 / Real-World Application
Address a real-life situation.
02 / Mathematical Method
Use at least one of the following: Differentiation or Integration.
Competition Rules
Eligibility: Students in grades 11 and 12 are invited to participate.
Team Size: Each school may register only one team, with a maximum of three students per team.
Written Report: Each team must submit a written report detailing its solutions and reasoning no later than 5:00 PM on Thursday, October 29, 2026.
Participants must deliver an oral presentation on the day of the competition, Thursday, November 5, 2026, at the RIT Dubai campus.
Guidelines
01 / Written Project
Written Project Guidelines
The written project should clearly communicate the team’s mathematical investigation and demonstrate how mathematics can be used to analyze a real-life application or problem. The report should be logically organized and clearly present the problem, mathematical approach, results, and conclusions.
01 / Introduction
Begin with an introductory paragraph describing the application field and the main objective or question of the project. The report should end with a Conclusion and Future Work section.
02 / Mathematical Approach
The project must include a meaningful application of at least one of differentiation or integration. Explain why the chosen method is appropriate, show the important mathematical steps, and provide logical reasoning for the methods and decisions used. Simply mentioning differentiation or integration is not sufficient.
03 / Results & Discussion
Present the results clearly and explain their significance in the context of the real-life application. Use appropriate graphs, tables, figures, diagrams, or other illustrative elements where helpful. Discuss relevant assumptions, limitations, and possible ways the mathematical approach could be improved or extended.
04 / Conclusion & Future Work
Summarize the main findings and explain how the mathematical analysis addressed the original problem or question. Suggest possible extensions or directions for future work.
Submission
Submit one Word document containing a cover page with the names of all group members and the name of their high school.
Excluding cover and reference pages
Use figures and diagrams where helpful
References
Clearly acknowledge all external sources, including books, articles, websites, data, software, images, formulas, or ideas. Use appropriate in-text citations and include a properly formatted reference section.
Presentation & Formatting
Project Requirements
02 / Oral Presentation
Oral Presentation Guidelines
When
Thursday, November 5, 2026
9:30 AM–12:00 PM
Format
5–6 slides
Maximum 10 minutes
Weight
20%
of the final score
Use appropriate eye contact, pace, and volume.
Ensure your slides are well-organized, attractive, and consistent with expectations in the field of research.
Begin your presentation by clearly stating the specific problem to be addressed.
Keep the presentation within the maximum 10-minute time limit.
Evaluation
Each project will be evaluated based on the written project submitted by the team and the oral presentation delivered on the day of the competition. The total score is 100 points.
01 / Mathematical Performance
Mathematical Correctness, Depth & Real-Life Application
The project should demonstrate correct use of mathematical concepts, calculations, and reasoning, with an appropriate level of mathematical depth. Students should meaningfully apply differentiation and/or integration to the chosen real-life application and clearly explain how the mathematics is connected to the problem. Judges should also consider whether the mathematical results are correctly interpreted in the context of the real-life application.
02 / Reasoning
Problem-Solving Approach & Mathematical Reasoning
The project should present a clear and logical approach to the chosen real-life problem. Students should explain how they identified and analyzed the mathematical problem, justify the methods they used, and clearly demonstrate how differentiation and/or integration was applied. The reasoning should lead logically to the results and their interpretation within the real-life context.
03 / Innovation
Creativity & Originality
The project should demonstrate original ideas, creative approaches, interesting mathematical connections, or innovative ways of applying mathematics to investigate or address the chosen real-life problem.
04 / Written Work
Quality of the Written Project
The written project should be well organized, clearly written, and logically structured. Mathematical notation, calculations, figures, tables, and other supporting materials should be accurate and appropriately presented. The project should provide clear explanations and conclusions.
05 / Presentation
Oral Presentation & Communication
The presentation should be clear, well organized, engaging, and appropriate for the audience. Students should communicate their mathematical ideas effectively and explain the real-life application in a way that is easy to understand.
06 / Understanding
Response to Questions & Demonstration of Understanding
Students should be able to answer judges’ questions accurately, explain their reasoning, justify their mathematical choices, and demonstrate a genuine understanding of the work presented.
07 / Team Performance
Teamwork & Professionalism
Team members should demonstrate effective collaboration and shared responsibility during the presentation. Students should be well prepared, organized, respectful, and professional in their interaction with the judges and audience. Team members should contribute appropriately to the presentation and demonstrate familiarity with the overall project rather than relying entirely on one member. The team should manage the allocated presentation time effectively and follow the competition instructions.
Total Score