Rules and Guidelines

Contest Guidelines

  1. Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors attending schools in selected counties in the New York City, Philadelphia, and Boston metropolitan and the surrounding areas.
  2. There is no registration fee to enter the M3 Challenge.
  3. Teams must consist of three (3) to five (5) students and one (1) teacher-coach from the same school. A maximum of two (2) teams per school may register for the M3 Challenge. Coaches must be full-time teachers employed by the team's high school.
  4. All teams must register by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 3, 2008.
  5. Registration is available online only. No other method will be accepted.
    • A confirmation screen will appear after you submit your registration.
    • An email verification notice will be sent to the official team email address within 24 hours of submitting your registration. This will contain your team Identification Number (ID#) and password.
    • The team ID # and password that was assigned to you at registration is required to download the Challenge problem and upload your team's solution paper. The coach and team are responsible for safeguarding this information. Do NOT share your team ID # or password with anyone, as it provides access to all the data that we have on your team.
  6. Changes to your team's registration information (e.g., team member substitutions or additions or typos) must be made via email to m3challenge@siam.org. No changes will be allowed after 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, 2008.
  7. The Challenge weekend is Saturday & Sunday, March 8 & 9, 2008
  8. The Challenge problem will be available for download beginning at 7:00 a.m. on the day your team has selected to work. The individual responsible for downloading the problem will need his/her team ID # and password assigned at the time of registration.
  9. Solution papers will not be accepted after 9:00 p.m. on the day the team has selected to work on the problem. Partial solutions are acceptable. Your last upload prior to the deadline will be your only submission of record.
  10. If you have problems downloading the problem or uploading your solution paper please contact M3 Challenge headquarters at (267) 350-6349, between 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. or 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. on the days of the contest. Please call with technical download or upload questions only—no other inquiries will be answered. Note: this hotline will only be staffed during the hours listed above.
  11. Team members may not discuss any aspect of the problem with, or seek help from, the coach or anyone other than their teammates. A team may use computers, software packages, books, reference works, or any free, publicly available and inanimate source, all of which must be properly referenced within the solution paper.
  12. There is no passing score, and numerical scores will not be assigned. The judges will be particularly interested in each team's approach and methods. Partial solutions are acceptable. All decisions of the judges are final and are not subject to challenge or appeal.
  13. Each member of a team that submits a solution paper, as explained below, will receive a certificate of participation. The certificates will display the contact information provided at the time of registration and will be mailed to the coach. Certificates will not be re-issued for mistakes made at registration.
  14. Six outstanding teams, as determined by the judges in their sole discretion, will receive special recognition and scholarship prizes worth from $2,500 to $20,000. Judges may, at their discretion, designate up to five teams as worthy of honorable mention and award them scholarship prizes of $1,000 per team. As part of the judging, top teams will be interviewed by and make brief formal oral presentations of their results to a panel of professional applied mathematicians. It is anticipated that some of the top solution papers may be deserving of publication.
  15. It is the sole responsibility of the individual schools to (a) provide any specialized staff or assistance for team members with special needs to participate as required by law (b) provide and be responsible for any transportation of the team members to Challenge events. Neither SIAM nor Moody's is responsible for any risks, injuries or damages related in any way to any student's or team's participation in the Challenge.
  16. A signed Parental/Guardian Consent Form [19K PDF] is required for each student participating in the Challenge. The form must be submitted via fax, mail or emailed scanned document to the M3 headquarters no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, 2008.
  17. A signed Understanding of Rules and Guidelines Certification Form [56K PDF] is required from each team and must be submitted via fax, mail or emailed scanned document, immediately following your registration or no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 6, 2008. The form requires the teacher-coach and students to certify that they have reviewed and understand the rules and guidelines prior to the Challenge.
  18. A signed Authenticity Certification Form [24K PDF]is required for each team and must be submitted via fax, mail or emailed scanned document immediately following the solution paper upload. Each team member and coach will be required to attest to his or her acceptance of, and adherence to, the rules and guidelines of integrity for the contest and to certify that the work they have submitted is authentic. The form must be submitted via fax, mail, or emailed scanned document to the M3 Challenge headquarters no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, March 14, 2008.