2026 China Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling: Registration, Dates, and Rules
Acadwrite Team · Updated August 4, 2026
The 2026 contest runs from 18:00 on September 10 to 20:00 on September 13. Start with the official notice and your university registration channel, then prepare the three-person workflow, paper format, and supporting-material checklist.
2026 official links
Divisions, problems, and participation
The contest has two divisions: undergraduate teams choose one of Problems A, B, and C, while vocational-college teams work on Problems D and E. In 2025, Problem A covered smoke-screen projectile deployment, B concerned silicon-carbide epitaxial-layer thickness, C analyzed NIPT timing and fetal abnormalities, D addressed mine water inrush, and E covered AI-assisted physical assessment. Official participation and award data follows.
| Year | Participation | Undergraduate first prize | Undergraduate second prize | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 65,761 teams | About 0.5% | About 2.03% | — |
| 2025 | 68,311 teams (1,837 institutions and over 200,000 students) | 294 teams (0.48%) | 1,204 teams (1.96%) | 91 vocational-college first prizes (1.33%) |
Sources: official 2025 award announcement / 2024 award data.
Annual timeline: registration through awards
Contest notice and institutional registration
The annual contest notice is published; the 2025 notice appeared on China Student Online in April. Form a team of no more than three students from the same institution and register through the institution. Team composition directly determines the division of work in September.
Contest: Thursday at 18:00 through Sunday at 20:00
The 2025 contest ran for 74 hours, from September 4 at 18:00 to September 7 at 20:00. Follow the 2026 notice for that year's schedule. Under the 2026 paper specification, the electronic paper is one PDF or Word file no larger than 20 MB; supporting materials are submitted as a RAR or ZIP file no larger than 20 MB.
Award list published
After regional and national review, the award list is published. Participants should verify their team and award information against the official announcement.
Awards and gradual publication of outstanding papers
The contest website published the 2025 award news. Official channels then release outstanding papers and problem-author commentaries from previous years. Use them to understand paper structure, model selection, and judging priorities; links appear below.
For the schedule and rules, see the 2025 contest notice; for submission formatting, see the official 2025 revised specification (the 2026 revision is also available; follow the current year's revision).
Inside the 74 hours: choose on D1, model on D2, write on D3
Official documents do not prescribe the team's internal schedule. The following arrangement makes progress easier to check; adjust it for the problem type and team roles.
Compare and select a problem
Undergraduate teams choose one of Problems A, B, and C. In 2025, A on smoke-screen deployment emphasized physical modeling, B on silicon-carbide epitaxial-layer thickness emphasized engineering parameters, and C on NIPT timing and fetal abnormalities emphasized data analysis. Compare the data, methods, and team abilities, then decide quickly. Switching later costs modeling and writing time.
Build the model and obtain the main results
Complete the principal model, solution, and core numerical results during this stage. By Saturday evening, the team should have numerical results ready for the paper. Day three is needed to turn them into the main text, abstract, and validation.
Finish writing and check every format requirement
Under the 2026 revision, the printed main text begins on page four, has no table of contents, and is limited to 30 pages. The appendix should list supporting-material files and contain complete runnable source code. The abstract should state the problem, method, principal results, and conclusions.
For checks on the abstract and every paper section, see how to write a mathematical modeling paper.
Team and compliance requirements
The following four rules summarize the 2025 contest notice. Read every one to the full team before the contest starts.
Cross-institution teams are not allowed; this requirement applies at registration.
Advisers can train teams and discuss broad directions beforehand, but cannot participate in solving the problem after the contest starts.
The 2025 notice also expressly prohibits joining any online platform that discusses the problems. Comparing ideas in a group chat during the contest risks disqualification.
The 2025 notice requires details of AI tool use. Whether tools are allowed and how the report must be formatted and submitted depend on the current year's notice.
Judging: top one-third in each region, then national review
Judging has two levels. First comes regional review, where awards generally go to no more than one-third of entries. Outstanding regional papers then proceed to national review, which follows the national review specification across five stages and includes similarity verification. This structure explains the figures above: provincial awards result from the regional one-third, while national awards require national review. The two targets demand different levels of preparation.
“Reasonableness of assumptions, creativity of modeling, correctness of results, and clarity of written presentation”
——contest charter. Check assumptions, models, results, and prose separately before submitting.
Previous papers and problem commentaries
Three official resources are available: the China Student Online index of outstanding papers / the contest website's collection of outstanding papers from 2010–2025, and the most valuable close-reading resource, the problem commentary collection. The problem authors write these commentaries, making them the most authoritative source on judging priorities.
In depth: how to write a mathematical modeling paperFormat specifications, causes for disqualification, the four abstract elements, and template selectionFrequently asked questions
Can first-year students enter the national mathematical modeling contest?
Yes. Registration is by team. Rules limit each team to three students from the same institution but do not set a separate year-of-study restriction. Follow the current notice and your institution's registration arrangements. First-year students can begin with programming or writing responsibilities while learning the full process.
Can students from different institutions form a team?
No. The contest notice requires every member of a team to come from the same institution, beginning at registration.
What is the national award rate?
According to the official 2025 award data, 294 undergraduate teams received national first prizes, about 0.48%, and 1,204 received national second prizes, about 1.96%. In the vocational-college division, 91 teams received first prizes, about 1.33%. Regional or provincial awards are much broader and generally cover no more than one-third of entries in each region.
Where can I download the competition problems?
After the contest starts, obtain the problems from the official channel designated in that year's notice. Previous problems and their authors' commentaries are available in the Problem Commentary section of China Student Online, which explains problem design and judging priorities.
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