11 November 2009
MEDIA RELEASE
Canberra Hosts National Award Ceremony for
Australia’s Leading Future Mathematicians
The Australian Mathematics Trust will hold an awards presentation ceremony for the 32nd
annual Australian Mathematics Competition (AMC) and the Australian Informatics
Competition (AIC) on Friday, 13 November 2009 at the Shine Dome at 11am.
Professor Kurt Lambeck, President, Australian Academy of Science, will present
awards to the 26 Australian AMC medallists, including Jesse An who is in Year 7 at
Belconnen High School and Tam Le, a Year 10 student at Lyneham High School.
Both these medallists also won Prudence Awards for achieving the highest number
of consecutive correct responses in their schools.
Professor Taylor, Executive Director of the Trust, will present the Peter O'Halloran Award
to two medallists who achieved perfect scores.
Several hundred thousand entrants from schools across 42 countries entered this year’s
competition and only 71 medals have been awarded globally to approximately the top 0.01% of
the students who sat the AMC.
The AMC is the major mathematics school enrichment event in the South Pacific region. In each
division of the competition, a limited number of medals are awarded for performances that are
outstanding both within a state or country and overall in the Competition.
Professor Taylor, Executive Director of the not-for-profit Australian Mathematics Trust that runs
the AMC, said, “The AMC aims to encourage students of all standards in their study of
mathematics. It sets out to demonstrate how mathematics can be used in the world around
them via problem solving using the skills students learn in the classroom. The AMC has also
been useful in identifying talented students such as these and the results are used for inviting
students into more advanced mathematical enrichment programs.”
“In fact, Australia’s leading Mathematicians under the age of 40 were discovered and
developed as a result of their participation in the AMC”, he concluded.
Prizes are awarded to approximately the top 0.3% of students sitting the AMC in each year
group within each Australian State or Overseas Country. A total of approximately 1500
prizes are distributed globally. There are 719 Australian prizewinners this year.
Professor Frances Shannon, Pro Vice- Chancellor, University of Canberra will present 13 prize
certificates and cheques to the local AMC prizewinners and awards to nine Canberra students
who attained High Distinctions in the Australian Informatics Competition (AIC).
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The University of Canberra and the Canberra Mathematical Association in Australia are
supporting sponsors of the AMC.
Photo opportunity:
WHAT:
Special award ceremony for the 2009 Australian Mathematics
Competition medallists and prizewinners and Australian Informatics
Competition award winners.
WHEN:
Friday, 13 November 2009, 11am –12pm, followed by lunch.
WHERE:
Shine Dome , Gordon Street, Canberra.
For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:
Professor Peter Taylor, Executive Director, Australian Mathematics Trust, 0412 258 699
Suzanne Fraser, Manager, Australian Mathematics Trust, 0437 670 610
NEWS 
