Math Olympiad registration now open
Visual, curious and fun mathematics. The subject, feared by many, is presented in a different way at the Olimpíada Mirim-OBMEP. Promoted by IMPA (Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics), the initiative, aimed at students from the 2nd to the 5th year of elementary school in public and private schools, is open for registration until June 8, through the official website olimpiadamirim.obmep.org.br.
“The Olimpíada Mirim is designed to awaken interest in mathematics in both students and teachers from an early age. We want to help learning happen in a more engaging way, stimulating curiosity and logical reasoning in the classroom,” says IMPA’s director-general, Marcelo Viana.
Launched in 2022, the Olimpíada Mirim is the version of the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) for younger students. Last year, more than 5 million children from public and private schools took part in Mirim and were delighted with the visual and stimulating challenges of the race.
“The Junior Olympics is a fun, cool and interesting event. It was very important for my development because it has a very different structure to other events. Everything the teacher explains, we can use even in other Olympic events,” said 11-year-old Sophia Dutra, who won two gold medals in 2025 and 2024.
In four editions, the Olimpíada Mirim has brought together more than 15 million participants, consolidating its position as an important tool for encouraging the teaching of mathematics in the early years of basic education.
IMPA’s deputy director and Olympiad manager, Jorge Vitório Pereira, highlights the initiative’s role in educational development. “OBMEP Mirim reaches children through the side they know well: that of play, curiosity and challenge. A good problem enchants them at any age, and that’s why mathematics enters their lives from the earliest years of school. When this happens, the classroom gains a new energy, the teacher gains an ally, and the path to OBMEP begins.”
How the OBMEP Junior Olympics works
The Olympiad is made up of two stages, both of which will be run by the schools themselves. The first stage will be held on August 25 and consists of a qualifying test with 15 multiple-choice objective questions. The students who qualify go on to the second stage, scheduled for November 10, also with 15 multiple-choice questions. Here’s an example:
1st phase of the OBMEP 2025 Junior Olympics
The tests are designed according to the level of education of the participants, who are divided into two categories: Mirim 1, for students in the 2nd and 3rd years of elementary school, and Mirim 2, for students in the 4th and 5th years.
As a form of recognition, the Olimpíada Mirim-OBMEP will award digital certificates corresponding to gold, silver and bronze medals to the best-placed students from each participating school.
Applications are made by educational institutions or education departments
To take part, schools must access the olimpiadamirim.obmep.org.br website and use the MEC/INEP code to create an access password. The login will be done with this code and the password registered at the time of registration.
Registration is free for municipal, state and federal public schools and education departments. Private institutions, on the other hand, must pay the registration fee by the established deadline.
When registering, only the total number of students taking part at each level (Junior 1 and Junior 2) needs to be entered, and students are not required to register by name.
The Olimpíada Mirim-OBMEP is organized by IMPA, with the support of B3 Social, CAPES and CNPq, and promoted by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) and the Ministry of Education (MEC). The initiative is part of IMPA’s actions aimed at the early years of elementary school. In 2026, the Institute will also hold a competition for teachers: the 1st OBMEP Mirim Teachers’ Olympiad. Read more.