Purple Comet! Math Meet

Key facts

Eligible grades

Middle school and high school, or the local equivalent, and home-schooled students at a comparable level. Competitive middle school members must not yet have completed eighth grade; competitive high school members must not yet have graduated from secondary school.

Source, checked 2026-09-02

Official divisions

Two papers: middle school teams answer 20 problems in 60 minutes, high school teams 30 problems in 90 minutes. A student eligible at middle school level may also compete on a high school team.

Based on the organiser's own divisions.

Eligible ages

Competitive middle school team members must be under 16 on the date of the competition. Competitive high school team members must be under 20 on the date of the competition.

Purple Comet publishes both a grade condition and an age condition and BOTH must be met for competitive categories. Non-competitive team membership is not restricted in any way, so anyone can take part for the experience without meeting these limits.

Source, checked 2026-09-02

Individual or team

Team · Teams of 1 to 6 students. A student may not be on more than one middle school team or more than one high school team, though a student eligible at middle school level may also compete on a high school team. Each team must have an adult supervisor, and a supervisor may register as many teams as they want.

Where it runs

Online · International

Entry cost

FreeFree to enter and free since 2003. The organisers note that running it costs them a substantial amount each year and welcome donations, which are not tax-deductible since AwesomeMath is not a nonprofit. Entrants pay nothing.

Registration deadline

Team registration opens 1 February and continues through to the end of the competition, so there is no separate registration cut-off before the contest window closes. 187 days leftCheck purplecomet.org for the exact contest window and registration cut-off each year.

Competition dates

The 2027 contest runs Tuesday 6 April to Thursday 15 April 2027, a 244-hour window within which teams choose their own start time. The competition closes at 4:00 AM UTC on Friday 16 April 2027, answers are posted about 6:00 PM UTC that day, and results about 6:00 PM UTC on Monday 19 April 2027.

Difficulty

Some preparation neededYou will want a few weeks of targeted practice. Most motivated students place respectably.

Prizes

Certificates and public rankingsAward certificates for winning teams and participation certificates for all. No cash prizes.