The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition® is the preeminent mathematics competition for undergraduate college students in the United States and Canada. The Putnam Competition takes place annually on the first Saturday of December. The competition consists of two 3-hour sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. During each session, participants work individually on six challenging mathematical problems.

The Putnam began in 1938 as a competition between mathematics departments at colleges and universities. Now, the competition has grown to be the leading university-level mathematics examination in the world. Although participants work independently on the problems, the competition has a team aspect. Prizes are awarded to the participants with the highest scores and to the departments of mathematics of the five institutions, the sum of whose top three scores is the greatest.

The 84th William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition® competition will take place on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, proctored in-person on campuses across the US and Canada.

This event is private and only open to confirmed participants.  Please email André Dixon (aldixon@mit.edu) with any questions.