IMPA’s new Olympiad focuses on early years teachers
O IMPA opens registration for the 1st OBMEP Mirim Teachers’ OlympiadThe competition is aimed at teachers from the 1st to the 5th year of elementary school. The initiative seeks to strengthen teachers’ training in mathematics and enhance the teaching of the subject in the early years of basic education.
Promoted by IMPAin partnership with B3 Social and academic support from ANPMat (National Association of Mathematics Teachers of Basic Education), the new Olympiad is part of the institute’s set of actions to stimulate mathematics learning in Brazilian schools, which also includes the OBMEP (Brazilian Public School Mathematics Olympiad)aimed at students from the 6th year of elementary school to the 3rd year of secondary school, and the OBMEP Mirimfor 2nd to 5th graders.
“The OBMEP Mirim Teachers’ Olympiad gives teachers, especially those in the early years, the leading role they deserve in Brazilian education. I’m sure it will do a lot to spread the love of math among our teachers,” said Marcelo Viana, director-general of IMPA.
Entries will be open until May 29 and must be made by the teacher on the Olympiad’s website. Teachers with active enrollment in public (municipal, state or federal) or private schools located in Brazil who teach in the early years of elementary school can participate. Registration is free for public school teachers and costs R$45 for private school teachers.
Fabiana Prianti, head of B3 Social, the private social investment arm of the Brazilian stock exchange, highlights the importance of the proposal. “Supporting initiatives aimed at teaching mathematics is fundamental, as this knowledge is a powerful tool for reducing social inequalities and preparing people to face economic challenges. It is through education that we can transform realities, expand opportunities and build a fairer future.”
ANPMat will provide academic support for the competition. The institution’s president, Sumaia Almeida Ramos, emphasizes the importance of teacher participation. “This first Olympiad was born out of the recognition that teachers in the early years play a decisive role in building the foundations of students’ mathematical thinking. Our hope is that the initiative will help strengthen teachers’ professional identity, inspire innovative practices in the classroom and foster a culture of valuing math teaching from the earliest years of school.”
How the Olympiad works
The exam will be administered in a single phase on October 17, 2026, at 2:30 p.m. (Brasília time), in test centers throughout the country. Participants will have three hours to solve the questions.
The scores will be published on December 1, 2026, in the participant’s restricted area. The list of winning teachers will be published on December 15.
In all, 25 gold medals, 50 silver medals, 100 bronze medals and 500 honorable mentions will be awarded. All the medal winners will take part in a mathematics training course for elementary school teachers offered by IMPA. The gold medalists will also be able to take part in face-to-face activities in Rio de Janeiro, with expenses covered by the institute.
After the training, the gold medalists will be able to submit pedagogical projects for application in the classroom. Selected projects will receive a grant of R$700 for four months for implementation.