Mathematics excellence: local students achieve at IMC and SATMO
The South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) is proud to announce the results of two major competitions that took place this year: the International Mathematics Competition (IMC), held from 28 July to 3 August 2025 in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, and the Standard Bank South African Tertiary Mathematics Olympiad (SATMO), which took place on 16 August 2025.
The International Mathematics Competition (IMC) is one of the world’s leading mathematics contests for undergraduate students. Organised this year by University College London and hosted by the American University in Bulgaria, the IMC challenges students up to the age of 23 with problems in algebra, analysis, geometry, and combinatorics. Although it is an individual competition, universities often send teams of four to represent them.
Representatives of the SAMF delivered commendable performances in a field of 434 international students. Kerry Porrill (Stellenbosch University) won a Second Prize, ranking 109th overall. Angus Clark (University of Pretoria) and Benjamin Kleyn (Stellenbosch University) each received an Honourable Mention, ranking 274th and 289th respectively. Muhammad Khan (University of the Witwatersrand) earned a Certificate, placing 372nd.
The top three students worldwide were Maksim Turevskii (Saint-Petersburg State University), Lukasz Orski (Jagiellonian University), and Huu Phan (Nanyang Technological University).
The Standard Bank South African Tertiary Mathematics Olympiad (SATMO) is SAMF’s national competition for undergraduate students, designed to test ingenuity rather than subject knowledge. The paper comprises 20 short-answer questions to be solved within two hours, covering areas such as calculus, linear algebra, combinatorics, and graph theory.
This year 456 students from 21 universities participated in the annual competition. Noah Jacobsen (a 1st year student) at the University of Cape Town, Aidan Conradie (a 2nd year student) and Benjamin Kleyn (a 3rd year student) both from Stellenbosch University walked away as the top performing undergraduate students, while Jaedon Naidu from the University of KwaZulu-Natal were crowned as the best honours student. Stellenbosch University was the best performing institution for the 5th time a row.
Speaking about the students’ achievements, Professor Seithuti Moshokoa, Executive Director of the SAMF, said: “We are incredibly proud of these young mathematicians. Many of them have been part of mathematics competitions since Grade 4, and their success shows how important it is to build a love for mathematics from the foundation phase. Their hard work and determination inspire the next generation to see mathematics not just as a subject, but as a tool for solving real-world problems.”
From left to right: Muhammad Khan, Benjamin Kleyn, Angus Clark, Dr Jonathan Kariv (University of the Witwatersrand), and Kerry Porrill.