The John O'Bryan Mathematics competition is designed to stimulate interest in mathematics among high school students in Northern Kentucky and recognize outstanding mathematical achievement among those students.
The John O'Bryan Mathematics Competition was begun in 1992 as a Northern Kentucky regional high school mathematics competition in memory of Campbell County High School student John O'Bryan, who passed away untimely in an automobile accident. John had a passion for solving mathematics problems. As tribute to him, the school and university community, along with his family, began this competition to honor his memory. Each year, the competition draws between 70 and 150 high school students from many regional schools who compete both individually and in teams solving math problems. The competition has been regularly supported by the Department of Mathematics & Statistics at NKU.
Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025 (Tentative)
Time: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Â鶹´«Ã½, , Room 200
Parking: Information is sent directly to all coaches.
Contact: Dr. Joe Nolan, Contest Chair
The Varsity level of the John O'Bryan competition consists of the following three scoring components.
In the team competition, all five members of the team work together in an attempt to solve six equally weighted problems.
Team competition papers will be scored by Department of Mathematics and Statistics faculty from NKU.
The individual competition consists of a 20-question mathematics test. Students will have 50 minutes to work as many questions as possible.
Definition of "simplified"
In this competition, a sequence of eight mathematical problems are flashed one at a time on a projector screen. The two students from each team work together to submit the correct answer in the fastest time.
The team earning the most total combined points from these three competitions will be declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the tie will be broken if possible by using the team competition score - and if that is tied, the individual competition score - as tiebreakers. Additionally, awards are given to the best teams and students within each component of the contest.
Junior varsity teams participate in the team and individual competitions only. They remain eligible for all individual awards related to these competitions; and additionally the two highest performing junior varsity teams for component will be recognized.
It is not required that a school field students in all parts of the competition in order to participate. For example a school might have only two students wishing to compete. They might choose to compete only in the individual competition (for individual awards) and as a two-person team.
Awards will be given on three levels: (1) School Overalls, (2) Competition Segments, and (3) Individual Exam. An abbreviated list is as follows:
Schools may field one "varsity" team and one or more "junior varsity" teams of five students each. Coaches should specify one team as the "varsity team" while additional teams will be considered "junior-varsity" teams. Multiple junior varsity teams will be accepted as space allows. Teams of fewer than five are allowed; however no accommodations to scoring are made for having fewer teammates. Registrations should be submitted at least two weeks prior to the contest, but are typically accepted later at the discretion of the contest chairs. Changes to registration information are permissible on-site up to 9:00 AM on the morning of the contest. Scores of students not listed on a team's registration roster for any given event will not be counted.
School teams are formed based on attendance at a particular Kentucky High School, or any group of home-schoolers may also form a team. School teams may include students who, for enrichment purposes, attend programs away from their home high school (for example, Grade 11-12 programs like WKU's Gatton Academy or Morehead's Craft Academy). Please note also that students attending programs away from their home high school may not form "all-star" teams under the name of such a program - rather, they should participate as a member of their home high school (even if registering for the competition only as an individual).
Any Kentucky, Ohio, or Indiana high school student, whether public, private, or home-schooled, may participate in this competition. Because of its location, those in the Kentucky counties of Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Gallatin, Grant, Pendleton, and Bracken are strongly encouraged to participate.
Grade level designations are interpreted as follows:
Any student may participate at or above their grade level, but not below their grade level. For example a freshman may take the Junior-Senior written exam, but a senior may not take the Freshman-Sophomore exam.
Contest chairs are designated by the NKU Department of Mathematics and Statistics. Any ambiguity or decision not covered in these rules may be addressed as needed by the contest chairs. All decisions of the contest chairs are final.