IMPA opens registration for the 21st OBMEP 2026
Math Olympiad is for students from 6th grade to 3rd grade
O Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (IMPA) opened registration for the 21st edition of OBMEP 2026 (Brazilian Public School Mathematical Olympiad)OBMEP is the largest science Olympiad in the country. Schools must register exclusively on the OBMEP website ( www.obmep.org.br), until March 16.
Municipal, state, federal and private public institutions can take part in the Olympiad. Every year, the competition brings together more than 18.5 million students from the 6th grade of elementary school to the 3rd grade of high schoolfrom all regions of Brazil.
“OBMEP is a great national mobilization around mathematics. When a school signs up, it opens the door for millions of students to have access to an experience that stimulates reasoning, curiosity and a love of learning, as well as countless academic opportunities,” says IMPA’s director-general, Marcelo Viana.
Promoted with funds from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) and the Ministry of Education (MEC)The 21st OBMEP 2026 will hand out 8,450 national medals, 650 of which will be gold, 1,950 silver and 5,850 bronze, as well as 51,000 honorable mention certificates. The students who win national awards are invited to take part in the Jr. Scientific Initiation Program (PIC), which encourages academic development and offers a grant of R$300, through the CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) to students from public schools participating in the program.
In addition to the national award, OBMEP also recognizes the best-performing students in each state. At least 20,500 state medals will be distributed. The honor does not give access to the PIC.
Gold medals from the 19th OBMEP
Gold medalist in the 20th 2025 edition, student Úrsula Romão, from Coruripe, in the interior of Alagoas, highlights the importance of taking part in the scientific competition. “I think this competition was one of the most important I’ve ever done in my life. It really gave me a lot of opportunities and opened a lot of doors for me.”
“Since its creation, the OBMEP has made a decisive contribution to stimulating the study of mathematics, valuing teachers and identifying talent throughout the country. With each edition, we seek to broaden the scope of the Olympiad, strengthen its role in improving basic education and offer opportunities to young people from all over Brazil,” says the Olympiad manager and deputy director of IMPA, Jorge Vitório Pereira.
Student taking the 2nd phase of OBMEP
How to register
Registration is done exclusively by schools, which must fill in the form available on the OBMEP website, enter the MEC/INEP code and create a password. In the regulations, representatives of the institutions will find all the information on the conditions, deadlines, dates and rules for participation.
The Olympiad takes place in two phases. The first phase consists of a 20-question objective test, administered by the school itself on June 9. The best-placed students will be classified for the second phase, which takes place on October 17. The test, made up of six discursive questions, will be administered at the centers defined by the Olympiad’s organizers.
The tests are designed according to the students’ level of education:
- Level 1: 6th and 7th grades of elementary school
- Level 2: 8th and 9th grades of elementary school
- Level 3: High School
The winners of the second phase will be announced on August 3 and the national winners on December 15.
