Washington, D.C. (February 22, 2022) – Today, the results of the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, the pre-eminent mathematics competition for undergraduates in the United States and Canada, were announced. The 82nd annual Putnam Competition, administered by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), recognized Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the top team, five undergraduate students as Putnam Fellows, and one undergraduate student as the Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize winner – all for their high scores in the challenging six-hour mathematics competition.

“The MAA celebrates those who participated in this year's Putnam competition,” says MAA executive director Michael Pearson. “The Putnam has long been recognized as one of the most challenging problem-solving competitions at the undergraduate level, and we hope that students and faculty enjoyed wrestling with this year's competition. Thanks, too, go to those who developed the problems, managed the logistics, and graded the submissions. The enthusiasm of the students, the commitment of the faculty advisors, and the efforts of all those involved, demonstrate how much our community values this annual event.”

The enthusiasm of the students, the commitment of the faculty advisors, and the efforts of all those involved, demonstrate how much our community values this annual event.

Michael Pearson, MAA executive director

There were 2,975 participants from 427 institutions who participated in the Putnam Competition on December 4, 2021. A list of top college and university teams, as well as top students participants, is available from the MAA. The highest score on the 82nd Putnam competition was 119 out of a possible 120 points. Cash prizes are awarded to the Putnam Fellows, the Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize winner, and the mathematics departments and student members of the highest-ranked teams.

2021 Top Five Putnam Teams:

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2. Princeton University

3. Harvard University

4. Stanford University

4. University of California, Los Angeles

2021 Putnam Fellows, listed in alphabetical order:

• Andrew Gu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Michael Ren, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Edward Wan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Shengtong Zhang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Daniel Zhu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Winner:

• Dain Kim, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

“I congratulate all the participants in this year's Putnam Competition,” says Putnam director Dan Ullman. “I commend every student who attempted this collection of challenging problems, displaying and developing their creativity, power, and ingenuity through those efforts. These are the skills that will be necessary to solve the challenging problems that humankind faces today and will face in the future.”

The Mathematical Association of America organizes the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition with the generous support of the William Lowell Putnam Prize Fund. For more information about participating in the Putnam Competition, visit MAA.org here.