How to enroll
The coach registers the team on the MyM3 site. Coaches are usually teachers, but a retired teacher or a math club volunteer can serve. Non-school teams need an eligibility petition at least a week before the registration deadline.
- Form a team of 3–5 juniors and seniors and find a coach
- Coach registers the team at MyM3 once 2027 registration opens
- All team members complete consent forms before Challenge weekend
In plain words
M3 Challenge is a free online math modeling contest run by SIAM and funded by MathWorks. Teams of three to five juniors and seniors get a real-world problem (2026 was online sports betting) and have 14 continuous hours over Challenge weekend to write a solution paper. Top papers win scholarships and finalist teams present to judges at a final event. The 2027 dates are not posted yet (all listed as TBD). Last year (2026) registration closed Feb 20 and Challenge weekend was Feb 27–Mar 2.
Strong math students who like open-ended problems, spreadsheets or code, and writing up an argument
Students below 11th grade, or kids who want a short solo test. This is a long team write-up.
What it takes
Step by step
- 1Find 2–4 teammates in grades 11–12 and a coach (a teacher, or any adult professional with a petition)
- 2Have the coach register the team on the MyM3 site once 2027 registration opens
- 3Work through past problems and sample winning papers on the M3 site
- 4Pick a 14-hour block during Challenge weekend and submit the paper before time runs out