The Copernicus Mathematics Olympiad is an annual international competition for students in grades 3 through 12, organized by the Copernicus Olympiad (Houston, TX, USA). It runs in two stages: an online Preliminary Round and an in-person Global Round held in a major city.
Grade categories:
| Category | Grades |
|---|---|
| Category 1 | Grades 3–4 |
| Category 2 | Grades 5–6 |
| Category 3 | Grades 7–8 |
| Category 4 | Grades 9–10 |
| Category 5 | Grades 11–12 |
Competition format:
- Preliminary Round (online): 75-minute exam; 20 multiple-choice questions; negative marking applies
- 5 easy (4 pts each), 10 average (5 pts each), 5 hard (6 pts each); the current Mathematics page deducts 1 point for every wrong answer; total 100 pts
- Global Round (in-person): 20 questions; 15 multiple-choice + 5 open-ended; no negative marking on open-ended questions; total 100 pts
Qualifying: Students scoring ≥40% in the Preliminary Round advance to the Global Round.
Awards:
Preliminary Round:
- 91–100%: Gold Medal + 10% discount on Global Round fee
- 75–90%: Silver Medal + 5% discount on Global Round fee
- 50–74%: Bronze Medal
- 40–49%: Honorable Mention Certificate
- All participants: Certificate of Participation
- Absolute winners (youngest top scorer per category): Free Global Round entry
Global Round:
- Top 10%: Gold Medal
- 11–30%: Silver Medal
- 31–60%: Bronze Medal
- 61–75%: Honorable Mention Certificate
- All participants: Certificate of Participation
Cycle checked November 4, 2026: the Mathematics page gives December 13, 2026 and January 16, 2027 under vague Round 1/2 labels. The official resources page links an eighth-Olympiad poster that explicitly labels them Preliminary I and II. The poster was visually checked: Istanbul March 24–30, 2027 includes Mathematics, and New York July 25–31, 2027 is Mathematics; Orlando's January programme lists other subjects, not Mathematics. These published Global dates replace the former blanket to-be-announced claim.
No exact registration or payment cutoff or exam start timezone was verified. The official FAQ quotes a USD20 Preliminary fee, with country variations up to USD30, and says absolute winners' fee coverage excludes international flights and visas. The mathematics-specific page says twenty questions and a one-point wrong-answer deduction; the general FAQ still says twenty-five questions. The subject-specific format is used here with that source difference disclosed. Later editions and precise Global fee amounts remain unverified.