HSMC | The Hamann School Mathematics Competition

Supported by the

Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)-SA Section

 

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL 2026 HSMC COMPETITORS!

Well done to all competitors in the 65th Hamann School Mathematics Competition!

It was fantastic to see so many students tackling non-standard problems with curiosity and skill.

The HSMC continues to honour the incredible contribution to the development of South Australian mathematics education by the late Keith Hamann OAM.

COMPETITION OVERVIEW

Each year more than 2,000 South Australian primary and secondary students participate in the Hamann School Mathematics Competition (HSMC) sponsored by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)-SA Section, with 2026 seeing the 65th edition of this well-established competition.

HSMC PRESENTATION NIGHT AND AWARD INFORMATION

The 65th HSMC Presentation night took place on June 18th 2026. Please note this was an invitation only event.

The annual HSMC awards recognise the achievement of a broad range of participants and are presented across each of the four divisions at the Judges’ discretion.  Monetary prizes donated by the SPE-SA Section are awarded to the Top Ten Students of each division, as well as to those students who achieve High Distinction and Distinction Certificates.  MASA recognises the SPE-SA Section as a long-term partner of the HSMC and thanks them for their generous support.

Credit Certificates, Judges’ Commendation and Judges’ Encouragement Certificates are also awarded.  The involvement of all students is recognised via Participation Certificates, which are shared with participating schools for distribution to all entrants.  

The annual Presentation Evening recognises the achievements of the students who receive the SPE-SA Section Top Ten Awards, High Distinctions, Distinctions and Credits.

HSMC SPONSOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Mathematical Association of South Australia (MASA) values the ongoing contribution of the SPE-SA Section, Keith Hamann, Pembroke School as host of the Presentation Evening, the teachers who support the running of the HSMC at their schools, and those teachers who participate in the HSMC Marking Sessions and Question Setting Groups.

The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is an international technical / professional organisation dedicated to the advancement of technology associated with the recovery of energy resources from well-bores. The South Australian section of the SPE is sponsoring the Hamann School Mathematics Competition as part of its commitment to the education of young people and to raise awareness of the Society’s vocation; the profession of Petroleum Engineering.

The SPE considers that a career as a Petroleum Engineer offers exciting opportunities for students to apply their STEM knowledge and work throughout the world.

COMPETITION DETAILS

This annual competition is a well-established event with opportunities for both primary and secondary school students.  

  • Primary Paper – Years 6 and below – 1 hour paper
  • Junior Paper – Years 7 and 8 – 1.5 hour paper
  • Intermediate Paper – Years 9 and 10 – 1.5 hour paper
  • Senior Paper – Years 11 and 12 – 1.5 hour paper

The Competition receives notifications from schools as to their intention to host the Competition by late-March, with school applications / orders received by early-April, with the Competition day in early-May. An Awards Presentation Evening takes place in mid-June.

SCHOOL AND TEACHER SUPPORT

There is considerable input required from schools and teachers to keep this very successful competition running smoothly. The process involves:

  • the setting of the four papers through Question Setting Groups
  • sharing sample questions / answers with students
  • conducting the competition under examination conditions at schools
  • attending Marking Sessions, held at MASA
  • supporting student participation in the Presentation Evening.

Please note: Metropolitan schools participating in the HSMC are required to nominate teachers to help with the marking of papers. Please note that teachers will receive a Certificate of Attendance and a copy of the solutions to the papers that they marked (although not to other divisions’ papers). 

Thank you to all of the teachers who assisted with the Competition – your contribution is appreciated.

PURCHASE PAST HSMC PAPERS

Past HSMC Papers with Solutions are available for sale via the MASA Shop.

Barnes-Potts Book Prize

An historical insight to Professors Barnes and Potts, and the Barnes-Potts Book Prize

Professor Eric Barnes came to University of Adelaide in 1959. He was responsible for the formation of MASA and was the initial president.

He was keen on Maths Competitions and in 1962 saw the first School Mathematics Competition (SMC). The original sponsor was IBM and they continued their sponsorship of the competition until the late 1990s. We were fortunate to get the sponsorship of Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) and we thank them for their continued support.

Professor Renfrey Potts came back to Adelaide from Oxford at the same time as Eric Barnes and he was appointed Professor of the Applied Mathematics Department at the University of Adelaide.

Together Eric and Ren became leaders in Mathematics and Mathematics Education in this state. Both of them were recognised as significant mathematicians with a world reputation. On the Mathematics Education side, their support of teachers and students in this state was inspirational and they led many of the curriculum changes in the secondary schools in the 70’s and 80’s.

They were both strong supporters of maths competitions and the role they played in helping interested and motivated students reach their full potential.

MASA introduced the book prizes for the winners as recognition of their contributions and to help act as an incentive for students to continue their studies in mathematics and/or science. In recent years the late Keith Hamann generously offered to fund the prizes presented to the top performing competitiors in each division of the HSMC.Â