Project summary

The Special Maths Contest (SMC) (https://www.specialmathscontest.com/) is an annual Mathematics Olympiad competition set up to provide Nigerians with an opportunity to showcase their problem-solving skills and vie for recognition on an international stage.

The SMC has been held annually since 2022, with two editions organised so far. However, going forward, we intend to utilise the contest as a platform for promoting the participation of Nigerian girls in mathematics and Mathematical Olympiads. Currently, the competition (NMC rounds) to represent Nigeria in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) and Pan African Mathematical Olympiad (PAMO) is heavily male-dominated. So, we want to leverage the Special Maths Contest to identify the top-performing Nigerian girls and give them the opportunity to represent the country at the European Girls Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO). We believe that the prospect of travelling abroad to participate in an International Olympiad will encourage talented Nigerian girls to participate in mathematics and Mathematical Olympiads.

To achieve this, we are seeking sponsorship to cover the costs of sending a Nigerian team to the European Girls Mathematical Olympiad.

What are this project's goals and how will you achieve them?

Our project aims to increase participation and performance of Nigerian girls in mathematics and mathematical Olympiad.

For the last two editions, the SMC has been conducted as an entirely virtual event consisting of two rounds. Here are the Contest Guidelines (https://www.specialmathscontest.com/special-maths-contest-2023-guidelines.pdf), Problems and Results (https://www.specialmathscontest.com/past-problems) from the previous two editions. 

We plan to refine the format of the contest to better align with our objective:

The first round will retain its nature–a multiple-choice examination covering pre-Olympiad topics in Algebra, Number Theory, Geometry, and Combinatorics.

The second round, on the other hand, will be refined to mirror the format of the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) and European Girls Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO). This round will be a physical event, hosted in Abuja in collaboration with a reputable partner school. The top 30 contestants, the top 10 girls, and everyone scoring above 75% in the first round will be invited to participate in a week-long camp at the designated partner school. This camp will involve an opening ceremony, the two-day exam, excursions to prominent recreational sites in the city and a closing award ceremony.

From the final round results, we will choose the top four girls to represent Nigeria in the EGMO the following year. The selected team will undergo rigorous training, starting as a 6-month virtual training program and culminating in a physical training program for the final 2 weeks before they travel, also hosted in collaboration with our partner school. 

Before the first edition of the revamped SMC, we will need to do some publicity to create awareness of the opportunity for Nigerian girls to represent Nigeria in the EGMO and other amazing prizes that come with participation in the Special Maths Contest. We estimate we can reach about 4000-5000 students (1500-2000 girls) through our email lists, social media ads, sending invitation letters to public/private secondary schools, and physical publicising using facilitators at the various venues of Math contests across the country

How will this funding be used?

Here is our sponsorship budget for organising the Special Maths Contest and sending a Nigerian Team to the European Girls Mathematical Olympiad:

1. Publicity ($100)

• Social Media Ads (Facebook and Instagram Ads that will be targeted at the Nigerian Math Community and run for 3 months): $50

• Direct Marketing to Schools through email and invitation letter: $50

2. Hosting the SMC ($2,900)

Round 1

• Payment of facilitators and technical support: $200

• Prizes for contestants: $500

Breakdown

• A free 1-year subscription for the SMA Olympiad Video Series for the top 15 contestants and the top 10 girls including finalists: $500 ($20 per account)

Round 2

• Accommodation and Feeding (Housing and feeding 30-50 students and their respective teachers in Abuja for a week): $1,000

• SMA T-shirt and Cap for all finalists and their respective teachers: $400

• Excursion (Excursion in Abuja for 30-50 students and their respective teachers): $400

• Prizes for contestants: $400

Breakdown

• 1st prize: $150 

• 2nd prize: $100 

• 3rd prize: $50 

• Best female student prize: $50

• Gold, Silver and Bronze medals and certificates for the top 12 in the ratio 1:2:3: $25

• Certificate of Participation for all finalists: $25

3. Training Programs ($2,000)

• 6-month virtual training for 10 girls (selected team + next 6 girls): $1,200

Breakdown

• Payment of Instructors (2): $1,200 ($200 per month)

• 2-week physical training for 10 girls (selected team + next 6 girls): $800

Breakdown

• Accommodation & Feeding (Housing and feeding 10 students and 2 instructors in Abuja for 2 weeks): $500

• Excursion in Abuja (Excursion in Abuja for 10 students and 2 instructors): $100

• Payment of Instructors: $200

4. Sending Representatives to the EGMO (4 Students + 1 Facilitator): $15,000

Breakdown

• Registration: $8,000 ($1,500 per student and $2,000 for the facilitator)

• Flight costs: $6,000 ($1,200 per person)

• Visa costs: $500 ($100 per person)

• Allowance for participants and facilitator: $300

• Miscellaneous: $200

Total: $20,000

In light of the outlined expenses, our total ask for organising the SMC and sending representatives to the EGMO is $20,000.

Who is on your team and what's your track record on similar projects?

The Special Maths Contest is organised by Special Maths Academy (SMA), an organisation dedicated to nurturing young Nigerian talents for success at the level of the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). The SMA team (https://specialmaths.ng/our-team/) has been diligently training Nigerian students throughout each calendar year since 2020, leading to commendable achievements in both International and National Math Olympiad Competitions.

Here are the brief profiles of the members of our team:

• Dr. Abdulwahab Animoku: Quant Strategist, Ph.D. in Financial Mathematics. Participated in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) 2007 and Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO) 2008, and was 1st in the country in the Nigerian Olympiad in 2008.

• Mmesomachi Nwachukwu: BSc. in Mathematics from People’s Friendship University, Moscow. 2 Silver Medals at the PAMO and 3 Honourable Mentions at the IMO.

• Williams Okeke: BSc. in Mathematics from People’s Friendship University, Moscow. 2 Honorable Mentions at the IMO and 2 Gold Medals at the PAMO.

• Oluwasanya Awe: Graduate of computer science from Stanford University. One Silver Medal at the PAMO and 1 Honourable Mention at the IMO.

• Pius Aje Onah: Graduate of Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. First ever IMO bronze medalist from Nigeria. One Silver and one Bronze Medal at the PAMO.

• Otutochi Nwadinkpa: Honorable mention at IMO 2020. Silver Medal at PAMO 2021.

• Okezie Chiedozie: Honorable mention at IMO 2020. Silver Medal at PAMO 2021.

• Obukome Ejaife: Three-time national Olympiad finalist and participant at IMO 2021.

We organize virtual training camps via Zoom for Olympiad students in Nigeria each year. We also provide Nigerian students access to Olympiad resources through our website (https://specialmaths.ng/) where we paste links to Olympiad books and past questions to various Olympiad contests, and our YouTube channel (https://youtube.com/@specialmathsacademy), where our instructors solve various problems from Olympiad contests around the globe. We have also published a video series to help assist Nigerian students in their Olympiad journeys. See a preview of the video series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLA7VB5eiHZ8ycjfgl9l1UZhtvG1gQ_v2J

On many occasions, we have been formally recognized by the National Mathematical Centre and given letters of appreciation for our efforts.

Many of our students have been successful in various international and national mathematics contests. Here are some of the accomplishments of some students who are part of our programs:

• Uwakmfom Jacob: Jacob qualified for his first IMO in grade 9 and has consistently been in the Nigerian team each year since then. He currently has two gold medals and a bronze medal in the PAMO. He has also participated in various other Olympiad contests and now has over 20 medals from International Math Olympiad competitions.

• Oghenerukevwe Esemitodje:  Rukevwe won a gold medal in the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad in 2022

• Precious Arogundade: Precious won a bronze medal in the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad in 2022

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails? (premortem)

The most likely causes of failure in this project will be:

1. Low Participation: Ineffective publicity and outreach efforts leading to fewer students, especially girls, participating in the contest.

Outcome: The goal of increasing female participation in mathematical Olympiads would not be achieved, and the contest may lack the competitive edge needed to identify top talent.

2. Insufficient Funding: Failure to secure the full amount of sponsorship required to cover all expenses.

Outcome: The project might have to cut essential activities, such as training programs or international travel, thereby compromising the quality and scope of the contest and the training for selected participants.

Mitigation Strategies:

1. Comprehensive Marketing Plan: We have developed a comprehensive marketing plan that includes social media campaigns, email marketing, and partnerships with schools and educational organizations.

2. Targeted Outreach: We are focusing our publicity on Nigerian schools and the Nigerian Math Community in General.

3. Incentives for Participation: We are offering attractive prizes, certificates, and recognition to encourage more students to participate.

What other funding are you or your project getting?

Although we have been actively exploring alternative sources of funding, there has been no promising indication of forthcoming support.