The Pythagorean Prize

The Pythagorean Prize recognizes exemplary scholarship in mathematics and encourages students to consider careers in mathematics-related fields.

The Pythagorean Prize is awarded during an event in April in conjunction with Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month. Winners will be announced through email and other college media outlets (e.g., the college newspaper). The event is open to the entire college community, including all students who applied for the prize, classmates, and families of the winners!

The Pythagorean Prize is named after the ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras, who was born on the island of Samos in the Aegean Sea. Around 540 bce, he established a mystical cult in Crotona, southern Italy. His followers, the Pythagoreans, explored the properties of numbers, the mathematics of musical scales, the movement of heavenly bodies, and the use of geometry in measurement. They had the first known proof in Europe of the “Pythagorean Theorem” concerning the lengths of the sides of a right triangle. Pythagoras was an important figure in the development of mathematics and his name is one most students will recognize.

sculpture of historical figure

29th Annual Pythagorean Prize Winners

1st Place
Nicholas Yamine

2nd Place
Luis Xhemollari

3rd Place
Madison Grieb

Previous Winners

1996 – 2019 Winners (PDF)
2019 – 2030 Winners (PDF)

Application & Requirements

Apply

Prizes

  • First Place: $3,000
  • Second Place: $1,500
  • Third Place: $1,000

For consideration a student must:

  • be enrolled and have taken classes at Schoolcraft College during Fall or Winter semester of the academic year of presentation.
  • be completing, or have completed, at least three mathematics courses at Schoolcraft College, with at least one course at the Math 200 level or above.
  • have an overall grade point average of at least 3.25.
  • have a grade point average of at least 3.50 in mathematics courses.
  • not have been a first place winner of this award previously.
  • have completed and submitted an application and essay by the deadline date.

Candidates will also be evaluated based on other mathematics-related contributions to the College such as, but not limited to, participation in the AMATYC Student Math League Contest, the Math and Physics Club, membership in honor societies, service as a Peer Assisted Learner (PAL) or tutor. Schoolcraft College transcripts are examined as part of the decision-making process. The Math Department reserves the right not to select winners for any or all of the three prizes.

29th Annual Pythagorean Prize
Ceremony and Reception

Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Waterman A – C (in the Vistatech Center)
Start time is 2:30 p.m., with presentations at 3:00 p.m.
View Calendar