MAA Putnam
The Premier Undergraduate Mathematics Competition
The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition® (the Putnam) is the preeminent mathematics competition for undergraduate college students in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
What began as a friendly competition between mathematics departments at colleges and universities back in 1938 has become the leading university-level mathematics examination in the world – and winning a prestigious accomplishment.
Each December, thousands of the brightest math students from hundreds of colleges and universities compete to win top honors. Although participants work independently on the six-hour exam’s problems, there is also a team aspect to the competition.
Cash prizes are awarded to the highest-ranked team’s math department and their student members and Putnam Fellows who are the highest-ranking individuals.
The Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize is also awarded to a woman whose performance in the competition is particularly meritorious.
The MAA is proud to organize the William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition through the generous support of the William Lowell Putnam Prize Fund.
The 87th Annual Putnam Competition
The 87th Putnam Competition will take place on Saturday, December 5th, 2026.
Registration will open on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
Are you interested in bringing the Putnam Competition to your institution for the first time? Or are you taking over for a colleague as your institution's Putnam supervisor? Watch our recorded webinar for first-time Putnam supervisors here.
The 86th Annual Putnam Competition
The 86th William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition® took place on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, and was proctored in person on campuses across the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Congratulations to all of the winners. Expand each category below for a list of winners listed alphabetically.
The 86th Putnam Competition Winners
The Putnam Fellows – Ranked 1-5
Jack Hu – University of Chicago
Cheng Jiang – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Luke Robitaille – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Chunji Wang – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Zixiang (Peter) Zhou – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Elizabeth Lowell Putnam Prize
Jessica Wan – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Winners ranked 1-5
Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Cheng Jiang, Luke Robitaille, Chunji Wang
University of Chicago – Claudio Bastiani-Fonck, Jack Hu, Hung Pham
Harvard University – Kevin Cong, Andrew Gu, Radu Andrei Lecoiu
Stanford University – Okezue Bell, Mason Eyler, Ritwin Narra
California Institute of Technology – Nikash Gupta, Luke Jin, Justin Lee
Honorable Mentions ranked 6-10 (Listed by university in alphabetical order; students who did not consent to having their names published are omitted)
Carnegie Mellon University – Tony Qu, Avnith Vijayram, Henry Zheng
Duke University – Akshat Basannavar, James Rydell, Kaixin Wang
Princeton University – David Ji, Zongshu Wu
University of California, Berkeley – Theodore Danial, Benedikt Vilji Magnússon, Zening Xuan
Yale University – Ruben Carpenter, Perryn Chang, Aron Fekete
Find the full list of winners and score distributions below.
And a huge thank you to everyone who made the 86th Putnam possible:
- Putnam Problems Committee
- Contributors Of Additional Problems For The Competition
- Competition Leadership
- William Lowell Putnam Prize Fund
Find more past Putnam competition problems and winners in our Putnam Archive.
Are you a former Putnam participant? We would love to hear from you about your experiences with the Putnam in this survey.
Putnam FAQ
Faculty members may register as supervisors to administer the Putnam at their institution beginning Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Supervisor registration closes on November 15.
Students will register by following a link obtained from the supervisor at their institution. Student registrations will open on September 8, 2026. Students may register until the competition begins on Dec. 5, 2026.
No. The Putnam Competition is open only to actively enrolled undergraduate students who have not yet received a bachelor’s degree.
No. You must be enrolled in an undergraduate institution in the US or Canada to be eligible to participate.
If you meet the eligibility requirements but your institution does not have a Putnam local supervisor, ask a faculty member (perhaps the math department chair) to become the Putnam local supervisor for your institution. If no faculty member is willing to play this role, then you will be unable to participate.
No. Students who are concurrently in high school but are also taking classes at a US or Canadian college or university on a regular basis are deemed to be “regularly enrolled” undergraduates.
Please note: A student may participate in the official Putnam Competition at most four times. Generally, we discourage high school students from exhausting their eligibility.
Remember, you are ineligible if you are not regularly enrolled as an undergraduate at an institution of higher education.
Yes. A student may participate in the official Putnam Competition at most four times.
Note: The 81st Putnam Competition which took place in February 2021 was unofficial and does not count toward the maximum four entries.
Yes
Yes
Possibly. Arrangements can sometimes be made to take the exam at another registered institution. Discuss this with your local supervisor.
Bring pencils or pens (blue or black ink) and the Putnam Identification Number (PIN) that you were given at the registration platform. Nothing else is needed.
Supervisors provide clean, white paper. Calculators, computers, references, and drawing tools are not allowed, and cell phones must be turned off and stowed away during the exam.