Seaquam Secondary student Vincent Chung achieved a perfect score in the 2020 Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge, which he wrote on October 29, 2020. His score of 80/80 has seldom been achieved at this competition.
Vincent, who is in Grade 10, competed against nearly 6,000 students (up to Grade 12) across Canada and internationally. As a result of his achievement, he received the competition’s top accolade, the Canadian Champion Gold Award. Vincent’s full list of accolades from the competition are:
- Gold Award – Canada
- Gold Award – British Columbia
- Gold Award – Canada Grade 10
- Gold Award – BC Zone 2
- Gold Award – British Columbia Grade 10
- Gold Award – BC Zone 2 Grade 10
“Vincent’s accomplishments at the competition are remarkable and we are extremely proud of him,” said Mr. Mesich, Principal, Seaquam Secondary School. “Competitions are an important part of learning mathematics and a fun activity for students of all ages, and we always encourage and support our students to participate.”
“I took part in the competition last year, so I understood what was involved and knew I would need to practice hard in order to do well this year,” said Vincent. “I prepared for this year’s competition by trying to solve different maths problems every night. Even so, I was very surprised to win, and especially to achieve a perfect score as I was struggling to answer the last question right up until the final seconds of the competition. But I knew it was important not to give up. I would really like to thank my Mom and Dad, and my teachers at Seaquam for their ongoing guidance and support.”
As a result of his success in the Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge, Vincent has qualified for the Canadian Mathematical Olympiad (CMO), Canada’s premier national advanced mathematics competition. This year, the competition takes place on March 11, 2021 and Vincent will have a chance to win prize money of up to $2,000.
About the Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge
The Canadian Mathematical Society supports math competitions in many ways, from running its own competitions to funding regional competitions to supporting Canadian involvement in international competitions.
The Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge (COMC) is Canada’s premier national mathematics competition open to any student with an interest in and grasp of high school math. The purpose of the COMC is to encourage students to explore, discover, and learn more about mathematics and problem solving.
Based on the results from the COMC, the CMO and other national and international mathematics competitions and camps, the Canadian Mathematical Society IMO Committee will select six students as part of Math Team Canada to compete in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).
Depending on their grade level and performance, students participating in the COMC will also have the opportunity to be considered for university scholarships, get invited to math camps, garner awards, and win prizes.