Oregon Council of Teachers of Mathematics (OCTM)
Student Mathematics Project Contest

Design Math Art

For over 20 years Joe Spooner has designed original covers for The Oregon Mathematics Teacher (TOMT) magazine.
This year, we are encouraging interested students to follow his lead in integrating mathematics and art.  Students will research and find a mathematical theme that they think would generate an original piece of math art that would make a good cover for TOMT magazine. 

The art work must be:

• black, white, and grey tones only
  
• "8 1/2" x 11" vertical  page layout
  

And must contain:

• A clear mathematical idea conveyed through the art work and related to the theme selected by the student
  

Also, please submit:

• An electronic file of the artwork either sent on CD or emailed as a graphic file attachment.
• The completed application along with parent and teacher signatures.

This contest is open only to students of teachers or schools who are current OCTM members. The contest entries must be submitted to OCTM's Contest Coordinator, Laura Lethe, at 940 Ridgepoint St. NE Keizer 97303. Electronic files may be submitted by attachment to lethe_laura@comcast.net. All entries must be postmarked no later than Apr. 15, 2008.

Scoring criteria for the contest is listed below. Two winners for each category will be announced by June 1, 2008. The categories are: Elementary (one winner for K-2 and one for 3-5), Middle School 6-8, and High School 9-12. Each winner will receive a poster-sized, framed reproduction of their art work. Their teacher will be invited to attend OML (Oregon Math Leaders) Awards Banquet to accept the poster award. The six entries will be displayed at OML and included as in the 2008-'09 issues of TOMT. A short biography will be included as well. Winners will be announced by June 1, 2008. Download the official application at: http://www.octm.org/contests.html

Scoring Criteria

Layout:

• Does your art work avoid clutter yet utilize space?
• Is the art work attractive and creative?
• Is thematic information incorporated into the design of the cover?

Content:

• Did you meet the five requirements as stated in this contest?
• Is the mathematics correct? Are words spelled correctly? Is grammar used properly?
• Is there a clear match between the mathematics and the theme?

Printable Application Form