The Mathematical Puzzle Program (MaPP) Challenge is a team-based mathematical puzzle competition for high school students held at multiple college campuses across the country. Unlike most math competitions, MaPP Challenge doesn’t require any knowledge beyond basic algebra and rewards players’ problem-solving ability over their previous mathematical background.
The event will be held on Saturday, February 28, 2026 at UNC Asheville
11:00am-11:15am: Registration on 1st floor lobby of Rhodes Robinson Hall (RRO)
11:15am-11:30am, Team Captain's Meeting (please select captain in advance)
11:30am-11:45am: Orientation in RRO 125
11:45am-2:45pm: Puzzles & Pizza
2:45pm-3:15pm: Closing and Awards
Location
Rhodes Robinson Building on UNCA Campus (printable map or interactive map).
Cost
The cost is $20 per student, which includes pizza lunch and access to national MaPP materials. Reduced or waived fees available for any student for which the fee is a hardship.
Deadline
Registration deadline for teams is Friday Feb 20, 2026. Early registration is strongly encouraged to ensure your spot. We just need the number of teams for each school at that time, you do not need to have specific number of students or their names to register. Each team can have up to 8 members, and should have at least 5 members. A teacher/chaperone is required for each school. If you don't have enough participants for a team, we can combine groups. Contact Julia Webster at jwebste2@unca.edu.
Liability Waiver
This Liability Waiver Google Form should be completed a parent/guardian or individual (if over 18) for each participant by the Wednesday before the event.
Some past participant groups:
Asheville Homeschool Math Club, Audrey Kell High School, Bessemer Academy, Carolina Day School,
Cherokee High School, Community House Middle School, Jackson County Early College,
Nesbitt Discovery Academy, North Buncombe High School, Odyssey School, Thinking Feet
Math
MaPP’s mathematical content is pulled from various areas unrepresented in the usual secondary curriculum, such as design theory, game theory, or topology.
Puzzles
MaPP shredded the multiple choice tests, and instead designed several mathematical puzzles which will give your students a taste of real mathematical problem solving, and prepare them for the types of questions asked in many job interviews.
Team-building
MaPP HSC is a team-based competition, emphasizing collaboration and communication over individual work, as teamwork is crucial for success in both industry and academia.
Fun!
These challenges won’t all be solved sitting down – players will find themselves running around campus to track down clues and uncover new puzzles to solve.
Teaser Puzzle
Download and solve the teaser puzzle to try your hand at our mathematical challenges!
In addition to being a lot of fun, MaPP has designed its events to fit the Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice:
Successful players will…
Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
Model with mathematics.
Use appropriate tools strategically.
Attend to precision.
Look for and make use of structure.
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
See our FAQ page or contact Julia Webster, jwebste2@unca.edu