More than 20 schools from across the Central West will take part in the 46th Newcastle Permanent Primary School Mathematics Competition next week, putting their mathematical and problem-solving skills to the test.
Starting on Monday 3 August, Year 5 and 6 students will step outside their normal classroom routine and take on a series of mathematical challenges.
This year’s competition follows a strong year in 2025 for the Central West, where local winners included Millthorpe Public School’s Luca Ryan, Jack Daly from Canowindra Public School and Rory Kinsela from All Hallows Primary School.
As one of Australia’s largest and longestrunning primary school mathematics contests, the competition gives students free access to an opportunity to showcase their skills while the online-only format significantly uplifts student accessibility through its text-to-speech function.
Newcastle Permanent spokesperson Paul Juergens said he was proud to see the competition continue to challenge and inspire students for more than four decades.
“It’s really exciting to reach the 46th year of the Newcastle Permanent Primary School Maths Competition,” Mr Juergens said.
“Maths plays such a crucial role in everyday life, from budgeting, cooking, time management and problem solving, and this competition is a great way to help students see how their skills can be used in realworld situations.
“For generations, this competition has given students the chance to test themselves, think creatively and build confidence in their maths skills. We look forward to seeing the
continued impact this initiative has on our communities into the future.”
The competition structure will see students tasked with 35 challenging questions and 45 minutes on the clock. The questions include practical math skills and problems, and in keeping with tradition, the competition remains consistent in its rules – no calculators and no rulers.
The competition connects students with practical applications and skills development, enabling students to give maths a go in new contexts.
Since the competition began in 1981, it has seen over half a million participants and has become a beloved tradition across NSW primary schools.
For the first time, the 2026 competition will be rolled out in an online-only format for schools to complete.