International Mathematics Competition for University Students

The International Mathematics Competition for University Students (IMC) is an annual mathematics competition open to all undergraduate students of mathematics.[1] Participating students are expected to be at most twenty three years of age at the time of the IMC. The IMC is primarily a competition for individuals, although most participating universities select and send one or more teams of students. The working language is English.

The IMC is a residential competition and all student participants are required to stay in the accommodation provided by the organisers. It aims to provide a friendly, comfortable and secure environment for university mathematics students to enjoy mathematics with their peers from all around the world, to broaden their world perspective and to be inspired to set mathematical goals for themselves that might not have been previously imaginable or thought possible. Most notably, in 2018 a mathematician who participated in the 7^th IMC [2] held at University College London in 2000 received mathematics' most prestigious award, the Fields Medal.[3][4] Students from over 200 universities from over 50 countries have participated over the first twenty six competitions. At the 26^th IMC in 2018 participants were awarded Individual Result Prizes, Team Result Prizes, Fair Play Prizes and Most Efficient Team Leader Prizes.[5]

University College London[6] has been involved in the organisation of the IMC and Professor John E. Jayne[7] has served as the President from the beginning in 1994. The IMC runs over five or six days during which the competitors sit two five-hour examinations, each with five questions (six until 2008) chosen by a panel and representatives from the participating universities. Problems are from the fields of Algebra, Analysis (Real and Complex), Combinatorics and Geometry.[8]

The IMC began in 1994 in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, with 49 participants, mostly from Bulgaria, and was hosted by Plovdiv University "Paisii Hilendarski". The 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th IMC were also hosted by Plovdiv University "Paisii Hilendarski" in Plovdiv. From 1996 to 1999 the IMC was one of the activities of the Structural Joint European Union TEMPUS Project #S_JEP-11087-96, entitled "Modular Education in Mathematics and Informatics",[9] which was the flag ship European Union TEMPUS Project[10] in Bulgaria at the time, aimed at bringing Bulgaria's university mathematics and computing degree programs into line with those in the European Union in preparation for Bulgaria's entry into the European Union. University College London was the Contractor for this European Union TEMPUS Project and Professor Jayne was the Coordinator of the Project. In 1998 the 5^th IMC was moved to Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, and was hosted by both the South-West University "Neofit Rilski" in Blagoevgrad and the American University in Bulgaria. The 5^th IMC had 80 participants from 9 countries.[11]

The 6^th IMC was hosted by Eötvös Loránd University and held on Lake Balaton in Keszthely, Hungary, the 7^th IMC was hosted by University College London in London, the 8^th IMC was hosted by Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, the 9^th IMC was hosted by the University of Warsaw in Warsaw, Poland, the 10^th IMC was hosted by Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, the 11^th IMC was hosted by Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje in Skopje, Macedonia, the 12^th IMC was hosted by American University in Bulgaria in Blagoevgrad, the 13^th IMC was hosted by Odessa University in Odessa, Ukraine, the 14^th IMC and 15^th IMC were again hosted by the American University in Bulgaria in Blagoevgrad, and the 16^th IMC was hosted by the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. In 2009 the 16^th IMC had 347 student participants and 65 teams. Since 2010 the IMC has been hosted by the American University in Bulgaria, in Blagoevgrad, with assistance from the South-West University "Neofit Rilski" in Blagoevgrad.[12] The 26^th IMC had 360 student participants and 77 teams.[13]