MathRocks! is our signature contest series. This series is for students in grades 1-12, regardless of school they attend or if they are homeschooled.
The 2026-27 MathRocks! dates are posted below. All contests are in-person.
- Sep 26
- Oct 24
- Nov 21
- Jan 16
- Feb 13
- Mar 13
Contest Structure:
- Each in-person contest level will have 2 components: Individual Rounds + Team Round
- No calculators allowed (unless contest specifically allows).
Who:
MathRocks! is for grades 1-12. Kindergartners are welcome to participate with Level 1 (please consider their ability to read when having them participate).
- Level 1 – Grades 1 & 2
- Level 2 – Grades 3 – 5
- Level 3 – Grades 6 – 8
- Level 4 – Grades 9 – 12
Student who will be physically in the Reno/Sparks area (northern NV) or in the Las Vegas area (southern NV) the day of the contest, regardless of where they reside in the state of Nevada regularly, are eligible to attend.
Students who are displaying signs of illness should not attend.
When:
Check in begins at 9:20am for Reno participants and at 8:45am for Vegas participants.
Where:
MathRocks! is hosted by the College of Science at the University of Nevada – Reno (northern NV) and Nevada State University (southern NV).
- UNR: Check-in takes place in the Davidson Math & Science Center.
- NSU: Check-in takes place in the Dawson Building.
PARKING:
- UNR does not enforce permit or metered parking on weekends. However, parking services does enforce anything that says 24/7, maintenance vehicle spots, emergency lanes, handicapped parking, etc. (see campus map for more details).
- NSU has parking available in P6 (see campus map for more details).
Cost:
$120 for all six contests
or
$30 per contest ($5 early registration discount is available for a limited time).
Awards:
Individual Contest Awards:
- Monthly contest awards will be announced and presented during an award ceremony at the following MathRocks! contest. This gap in time allows us to deal with any scoring issues and ensure results are correct without making participants and parents wait for an unknown amount of time on each contest day.
- Individual rounds: Ribbons will be given to the top performers in each grade. Grades may be combined when there aren’t enough registrations to support separate awards (common with grades 9-12).
- Team rounds: Ribbon will be given to each member of the top performing teams in each division.
- Monthly MathRocks! Awards: September | October | November | January | February | March
Accumulative Season Awards:
- Accumulative Season Awards will be presented at our annual Year End Awards Dinner on May 16th. We put a lot of effort into the event to emphasize how important math is and encourage them to continue pursuing their math learning. Tickets will go on sale by March 1st and typically sell out. Families will be notified if their student is receiving an award, but we will NOT reveal what they are receiving until the event (we find it is much more enjoyable for the kids this way). As much as we would like every kid receiving an award to be present, we appreciate it isn’t always possible and will make arrangements to get awards to those unable to attend.
- Individual trophies will be given to the top performers in each grade.
- Grades may be combined when there aren’t enough registrations to support separate awards (common with grades 9-12).
Registration:
Registration for all contests are through MyNNVMath.org. To create the account, sign up under the parent’s name then add the child to the profile.
Please check to make sure your student’s grade level is their current grade level for 2026-27 school year.
If your school is not listed, email Angela@NNVMath.org with your school name and city/state where it is located.
Waivers:
All participants need to complete and submit a waiver prior to participating. Completed waivers can be emailed to Angela@NNVMath.org with a subject of “waiver” or may be presented at check-in. Only 1 waiver is required for all programs between 7/1/2026 and 6/30/2027.