Thousands of young Filipino math aces have joined their 6 million counterparts in over 90 nations worldwide as they gear up for the coming 2026 International Kangaroo Mathematics Competition (IKMC).

The event is touted as one of the world's largest math contests that is also more fun, creative, and engaging as it focuses on logical reasoning rather than computational ability.

Open to Grade 1 to 12 students in public and private schools, the IKMC is held usually on the third Thursday of March each year.

Registration typically opens in mid-September and runs through December with late registration available through early February.

In the Philippines, registration for the contest is still open with limited slots available at the non-government Mathematics Trainers' Guild Phils. (MTG) which has been conducting the IKMC for over 10 years now.

Registration fee costs $35 in most participating countries, including those in the Americas and Europe.

Math-gifted kindergarteners may take part at the Grade 1 level.

Reputed to be "moderately difficult" as students tackle more logical puzzles rather than complex theories and memorized formulas.

Students can also look forward to a unique test format featuring 75-minute multiple choice questions -- 24 questions for Grades 1 to 4 with 30 questions for Grades 5 to 12.

The IKMC, often known as Kongaurou sans Frontieres was the brainchild of Andre Deledicq and Jean Pierre Boudine, French teachers from Paris and Marseilles, respectively.

They were inspired by Australian math legend Peter O'Halloran, who initiated the Australian Math Competition in the late 1970s.

Deledicq and Boudine came up with a similar, widely accessible contest in France where the first Kangaroo tilt was held in 1991 with 120,000 participants.

Due to its immense popularity, the contest spread across Europe, Africa, and the rest of the world followed.

Deledicq and Boudine then formed the international Association Kangourou sans Frontieres that managed the contest globally.

The Frenchmen also coined the competition Kangaroo to pay tribute to their Aussie counterparts who were behind the multiple-choice competition that allowed learners to participate globally in the same equation online.

The IKMC also began to be called Kangaroo due to its Aussie origins. In the sub-continent, the popular kangaroo is associated with indigenous Australian culture and often featured in arts, folklore, and as a national symbol.

Both mathematician O'Halloran and the kangaroo are key aspects Down Under.

In the 1990s, the IKMC also acquired a global dimension as a non-profit group promoting math education.

MTG head Dr. Simon Chua said "the contest has impacted on both math education and training showing that math can be exciting, rewarding and capable of busting the myth that math is a dry and boring subject."

"With an emphasis on problem solving and logical thinking, it has helped developed a new generation of critical thinkers," he noted.

In a nutshell, an MTG trainee pointed out that the IKMC is different from traditional tests because of its interesting format and where problem solving is more important than just memorization.

Said another: "The best way to prepare for Kangaroo is to practice solving math problems and puzzles."

In a March 18, 2I010 Internet report, the IKMC said "while Kangaroo math is active in the Philippines, search results focus on global competition materials rather than specific medal counts for the exact year."

Search results focus heavily on major wins in both 2023 and 2025."

The IKMC cited a DepEd report which lauded Filipino learners who garnered a total of 1,310 medals, including 148 golds in the 2023 contest, which it described as a "particularly competitive" year.

Among that year's top performing schools were MGC New Life Christian Academy, St. Jude Catholic School and Grace Christian College.

In 2024, the IKMC also drew thousands of participants in time for the March contest.

"Multiple schools reported high performance with gold, silver and bronze awards for students across grade levels," said the IKMC," also noting the Philippine math event was managed again by MTG.

In 2025, a record-breaking 26,230 students participated, where 7 of 1,718 of whom were perfect scorers, 94 others got gold medals, 383 silvers, 553 bronzes plus 688 merit awards.

"The massive participation marked a significant milestone in the country's commitment to math excellence," according to IKMC.

This year, more students have expressed interest in Kangaroo math.

"Not surprising at all since our Filipino math aces have been on a roll not just in Kangaroo math but also in other math competitions abroad," Dr. Chua, president Sid Aguilar and other MTG other officials were quick to add.