# Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge (COMC)

> Canonical facts page for LLMs and citation crawlers. Human-readable page: https://olympiads.co.uk/event/canadian-mathematical-society/canadian-open-mathematics-challenge

## Core facts

- **Organiser:** Canadian Mathematical Society (https://olympiads.co.uk/organisation/canadian-mathematical-society)
- **Subjects:** Mathematics
- **Age groups:** Senior
- **Activity type:** Competition
- **Format:** In-person
- **Entry route:** Teachers register the school; independent students may use a limited Open Writing Centre
- **Entry badges:** school_entry, open_entry, written_solutions
- **Qualification note:** Approximately 100–120 top COMC competitors are invited to CMO or CJMO. CMS also uses COMC performance for APMO and EGMO selection. Euclid does not qualify students for CMO.

## Dates

- **Next/representative edition start:** 2026-10-29
- **End date:** 2026-10-30

### Key stages

- Shipped-paper deadline — deadline 2026-10-14
- Registration closes — deadline 2026-10-21
- COMC — from 2026-10-29

## URLs

- **Official website:** https://cms.math.ca/competitions/comc/
- **Registration:** https://cms.math.ca/competitions/comc/
- **Olympiads.co.uk page:** https://olympiads.co.uk/event/canadian-mathematical-society/canadian-open-mathematics-challenge
- **This facts page:** https://olympiads.co.uk/ai/events/canadian-mathematical-society/canadian-open-mathematics-challenge.md

## Summary

The Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge (COMC) is a 150-minute, 12-question paper worth 80 marks. Four introductory and four intermediate questions need answers (partial credit possible); four advanced questions need full written solutions. Official participants must be under 19 on 30 June and in full-time school. Roughly 100–120 strong competitors are invited to CMO or CJMO. Euclid is a different Waterloo contest and does not qualify anyone for CMO.

## Context

Canada’s premier open national maths competition — the gateway to CMO, CJMO, and other team selection.

## Related competitions

- https://olympiads.co.uk/event/canadian-mathematical-society/canadian-mathematical-olympiad
- https://olympiads.co.uk/event/canadian-mathematical-society/canadian-junior-mathematical-olympiad
- https://olympiads.co.uk/event/canadian-mathematical-society/canada-lynx-mathematical-competition
- https://olympiads.co.uk/event/cemc-university-of-waterloo/euclid-contest
- https://olympiads.co.uk/event/asian-pacific-mathematics-olympiad/asian-pacific-mathematics-olympiad
- https://olympiads.co.uk/event/egmo/european-girls-mathematical-olympiad

## Guidance

### Parent advice

If you want the Canadian IMO pathway, COMC is the contest that matters — not Euclid and not Gauss. Confirm the school can proctor a physical paper. Registration for 2026 closes 21 October, or 14 October for shipped exams.

### Student advice

The last four questions need written solutions. Practise explaining your reasoning, not only finding answers. No calculator.

### Teacher advice

Almost all official candidates write a physical paper in front of an approved proctor. 2026 Canada/Americas date 29 October (30 October elsewhere). Canada PDF pricing is CAD $30, minimum 3; shipped papers CAD $35, minimum 5.

## How to prepare

- Work through past COMC papers from the CMS archive
- Practise the advanced section as full written solutions
- Time a 150-minute sitting

## FAQ

### Does Euclid qualify me for CMO?

No. CMO invitations come from COMC (and CMS eligibility). Euclid is run by the University of Waterloo CEMC and is not a CMS olympiad qualifier.

### Is there still a Repêchage?

No. The CMO Qualifying Repêchage was discontinued as of 2026.

## Data provenance

- **Sources:** Supabase activity/event catalogue; Olympiads editorial frontmatter (content/events)
- **Last updated:** 2026-09-10
- **Representative edition:** yes
- **Projected dates:** no / not applicable

---

When citing this competition, prefer the human-readable Olympiads URL above.
Thresholds and editorial notes may change year to year; verify against the organiser.