A group of Maldivian students has achieved top rankings in a major international competition focused on mathematics.

The Ministry of Education stated that Maldivian students secured first place in all three age categories of the "Young Mathematical Story Authors 2026" competition. The ministry noted that this marks the first time in the competition's history that a single country has swept the most prestigious top prizes.

Organized by "MathsThroughStories.org", a private research institute based in the United Kingdom, the competition is divided into three age categories: 4 to 7 years, 8 to 11 years, and 12 to 16 years.

Students from 34 countries participated in the competition, including more than 650 students from the Maldives.

The competition, which fosters familiarity with creative mathematical literacy, allows students to participate by submitting their work online. For this year's competition, students were required to submit their creations before March 20.

The ministry stated that, in collaboration with the National Institute of Education (NIE) and the Maldives National University (MNU), a supportive environment has been established to enable Maldivian students to establish a strong footing on the international stage.

Through programs jointly conducted by MNU and NIE, teachers have been trained in creative methods to teach mathematics through storytelling.

The competition, which focuses on learning mathematics through stories, has been held since 2019. Since then, more than 7,000 students from over 40 countries worldwide have participated in it.