Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.

Problem of the Month

pom_logo
 
The 2024-2025 Problem of the Month contest is now closed. Winners will be posted at the end of February.

 

pom

"Problem of the Month” (POM) is a free online competition that is open to everyone who is in 10th grade or younger, regardless of what state or country they live in. The goal of the POM contest is to stimulate inquisitive minds and cultivate interest in science and math.

Each month, participants are offered a set of problems, up to two in each of the following subjects: 
Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, and Linguistics/Applied Sciences, thus up to 12 problems in total. One of the problems is geared towards younger participants and is typically easier, the other is more advanced.

There are 5 sets of problems posted every month from September to January. You can join the contest at any time. Each problem set will be posted on the 15th day of the month, and you have until the 10th of the next month to submit your solutions. After this, the solutions will be graded, and you will be able to see your score and graders' comments.

At the end of the PoM season, we will announce the winners (separately in two categories: grade 8 and younger and grades 9-10). Students who are in the top 50 and scored at least 30 points will be offered admission to SigmaCamp without the need to do the Qualification Quiz (QQ) (assuming that they satisfy the age restrictions of SigmaCamp.) Of the 50 spots, 25 are reserved for qualifying students in the 8th grade and younger category.

We hope you will enjoy solving our problems!

How to Participate

  1. To participate in the Problem of the Month (POM) contest, you must have an account on the SigmaCamp website. If you don't have an account please create a student account or login into your existing SigmaCamp account.
  2. Read the contest rules and download the PDF file with problems of the current POM month here.
  3. Solve some of the problems and submit your solutions here.
  4. Check your grades and comments on your solutions in your account (top right corner of the page). You can click on any grade to read the grader's comments. Also you can check public scores of all POM participants.

If you have any questions, you can contact the POM Committee by emailing pom@sigmacamp.org.

POM 2024-2025 Winners

We would like to congratulate the 2024-2025 Problem of the Month winners:

  1. The Gold Prize ($150) is awarded to 
    Sofya Salova (236 points)
     
  2. The Silver Prize ($100) is awarded to
    Alexander Barchenkov (213 points)
     
  3. The Bronze Prize ($75) is awarded to
    Alexander Miftakhutdinov (175 points)
     
  4. Honorable mentions ($25):
    Bryan Andrei (160 points)
    Sabrina Avery (169 points)
    Martin Eastwood (163 points)
    Julia Gilman (166 points)
    Maria Merzlyakova (159 points)
    Valerie Rabinovich (164 points)
    Anna Vasylenko (166 points)
    Danny Yaskin (163 points)

Previous years problems

Problems and solutions from the previous POM contests can be found through the link below.

Previous problems