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International Mathematical Olympiad

International Mathematical Olympiad

International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO)

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About the Program

The International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) is the World Championship Mathematics Competition for High School students. It is held annually in a different country and has expanded to over 100 countries from 5 continents. The IMO Board ensures the competition takes place each year and that each host country observes the regulations and traditions.

The official 2027 host lists Budapest, Hungary, July 16–26. This is the overall event window, rather than a verified stay for every contestant. Student selection remains national; the checked official pages do not yet establish 2027 delegation registration/payment deadlines or a contestant itinerary. The published 2026 annual deadlines are historical and do not establish 2027 cutoffs.

Sources checked November 4, 2026: official 2027 edition, host website and general regulations, updated July 16, 2025. The birth-date eligibility rule is July 1 of year x−20.

Eligibility

Contestants are chosen through national selection. Under the general regulations, they must normally have been in full-time primary or secondary education on or after December 1 of the preceding year. Home-educated contestants must not yet have obtained a high-school diploma and must have been working toward one on that date. Each country may send up to six contestants. For the IMO in year x, contestants must have been born on or after July 1 of year x−20. The current general regulations use this birth-date rule, rather than age on the second contest day. Primary or secondary education under the preceding-December-1 rule, with the specified home-education exception; national selection requirements also apply.

Eligible Countries

citizenship, residency permanent: All countries Contestants normally represent their country of citizenship. The general regulations also permit specified long-term foreign residents receiving education there: at least one completed academic year and at least two years before the end of secondary school, for bona fide family reasons. Board exceptions may apply. A contestant cannot enter final selection examinations for more than one country in the same year.

How to Apply

Qualify through the national mathematical olympiad selection process. National organizers register the delegation; there is no direct individual application to IMO. The host confirms Budapest, July 16–26, 2027 as the overall event window. Contestant-specific arrival and departure dates and 2027 delegation registration/payment cutoffs have not yet been verified.