"The Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge is designed to motivate younger students who have done some enrichment study beyond their school year and who are looking for a mathematics enrichment challenge", said Mr. Ronald Dunkley, University of Waterloo, and Chair of the CMS COMC Committee. "In addition, the Open acts as a qualifying paper for the Canadian Mathematical Olympiad which will be written on March 26, 1997".

1996 Prize Winners: The top winners in the 1st Canadian Open Mathematics Challenge are:

Sabin Cautis, Earl Haig Secondary School, North York, Ontario; Adrian Chan, Upper Canada College, Toronto, Ontario; Byung Kyu Chun, Harry Ainlay Composite High School, Edmonton, Alberta; David Nicholson, Fenelon Falls Secondary School, Fenelon Falls, Ontario; Adrian Tang, Albert Campbell Collegiate Institute, Scarborough, Ontario.

The top two contestants in a region are declared provincial winners. The 1996 Open provincial winners are:

Byung Kyu Chun, Harry Ainlay Composite High School, Edmonton, Alberta; Nathan Stein, Western Canada High School, Calgary, Alberta; Brook Glanville, Columneetza Senior Secondary School, William's Lake, British Columbia; Teppei Mikami, Sentinel Secondary School, North Vancouver, British Columbia; Cilanne Boulet, St. Mary's Academy, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Vija Daniels, St. John's-Ravenscourt School, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Jiro Kondo, École Ste-Anne, Fredericton, New Brunswick; Peter Tingley, Fredericton High School, Fredericton, New Brunswick; Suyin Chan, Clarenville Integrated High School, Clarenville, Newfoundland; Dale Vardy, Clarenville Integrated High School, Clarenville, Newfoundland; Pak Ki Jacky Li, Halifax West High School, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Karen Yeats, Saint Patrick's High School, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Daniel Ho, St. Robert Catholic High School, Thornhill, Ontario Central; Vincent Tseng, Streetsville Secondary School, Streetsville, Ontario Central; David Nicholson, Fenelon Falls Secondary School, Fenelon Falls, Ontario East; Van-Anh Truong, Lisgar Collegiate Institute, Ottawa, Ontario East; Sabin Cautis, Earl Haig Secondary School, North York, Ontario - Metro Toronto; Adrian Chan, Upper Canada College, Toronto, Ontario - Metro Toronto; McEwan Gillespie, Roland Michener Secondary School, South Porcupine, Ontario North; Kate Stange, Chippewa Secondary School, North Bay, Ontario North; Maneesh Gupta, Glenview Park Secondary School, Cambridge, Ontario West; Yin Lei, Vincent Massey Secondary School, Windsor, Ontario West; Mihaela Enchescu, Dawson College, Westmount, Québec; Yang Shen, Laurenhill Academy, St. Laurent, Québec; Geoffrey Stewart, Weyburn Composite School, Weyburn, Saskatchewan; Arjun Venkatraman, Bedford Road Collegiate Institute, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

"All of these winners have done extremely well in a very challenging competition and they have demonstrated the critical and creative problem solving skills that are so essential in today's workplace", said Dr. Patrick Stewart, Dalhousie University, and Chair of the CMS Mathematical Olympiads Committee. "Students with excellent problem solving skills are important if Canada is to be competitive in a global economy."

Approximately the top 50 finishers on the 1996 Open Challenge are being invited to write the 1997 Canadian Mathematical Olympiad (CMO). The CMO is Canada's premier mathematics competition organized and administered by the Canadian Mathematical Society. "These top students will now be busy honing their problem solving skills as they prepare for the 1997 CMO", said Dr. Graham Wright, Executive Director, Canadian Mathematical Society. "These valuable enrichment activites are only possible because many teachers at participating schools and universities assist on a volunatry basis".

For more information, contact:

Dr. Graham P. Wright
Executive Director
Canadian Mathematical Society
(613) 562-5702

or

Mr. Ronald Dunkley
Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing
Waterloo University
(519) 885-1211, ext 2697

or

Dr. Patrick Stewart
Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science
Dalhousie University
(902) 494-8855