For the first time in its 46-year history, the Newcastle Permanent Primary School Mathematics Competition will be delivered entirely online.
Almost 160 schools from across the Hunter will take part when the annual competition begins on Monday 3 August, with Year 5 and 6 students testing their mathematical and problem-solving skills outside their usual classroom routine.
The move to a 100 per cent online format marks a major change for one of Australia’s largest and longest-running primary school mathematics competitions.
Organisers said the new format would improve accessibility for students, including through a text-to-speech function.
The competition remains free for participating schools and will retain its traditional structure, with students given 45 minutes to answer 35 challenging questions.
Despite moving online, some long-standing rules will remain unchanged, with calculators and rulers still not permitted.
Newcastle Permanent spokesperson Paul Juergens said the competition had continued 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,” he 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 real-world situations.”
Mr Juergens said the competition had given generations of students the opportunity to test themselves, think creatively and build confidence in their mathematical abilities.
Competition director Dr Peter Howley said creating engaging opportunities for students to explore mathematics was particularly important during the primary school years.
“With career interests and trajectories forming in the primary school years, it is important to provide young students opportunities to engage with mathematics, and the associated critical thinking, problem-solving and quantitative skills, in practical and appealing ways,” he said.
“The Newcastle Permanent Primary School Maths Competition plays a valuable role in expanding students’ experiences and learning.”
The competition began in 1981 and has attracted more than half a million participants.
Hunter students performed strongly in 2025, with local winners including Ahmed Sajjad from New Lambton South Public School, Kian Lim from Newcastle Grammar School and Callan Nash from St Kevin’s Primary School.
This year’s online-only rollout will allow participating schools to complete the competition digitally while maintaining the format and level of challenge that has defined it for almost five decades.
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