How do awards and the Honour Roll work?
Spirit of Math Contest awards are earned by performance against other students in the same grade. For the National Round that comparison is within your own country; for the Global Round it is worldwide.
The medal bands are shares of that group, awarded in rank order:
- Gold Medal — the top 5%
- Silver Medal — the next 10%
- Bronze Medal — the next 25%
Two further awards are based on score alone, and a student can hold one at the same time as a medal:
- Perfect Score — a score of 100%
- Honour Roll — a score of 80% or higher
A student who places in the Bronze band with 82% therefore receives both a Bronze Medal and Honour Roll recognition.
Ties always earn equal awards. If the last place in a band falls inside a group of students on the same score, every student on that score receives the higher award, and the next band still goes to its full share of students. This means slightly more than 40% of a grade can finish with a medal — that is the rule working as intended, not an error.
Every other writer is recognised too: a Certificate of Participation in the National Round, and a Merit Medal at the Global Round.
These rules apply to the Spirit of Math Contest itself. Partner competitions that SoMC students may go on to, such as international invitationals, set their own award criteria.
If your child received an award notification and you would like it verified, email us their full registered name, grade, and school or centre.