Game-based learning leaders Prodigy Education (“Prodigy”) have launched the world’s biggest math competition, motivating millions of U.S. elementary school students to ignite their love of learning and compete for up to $1 million in available prizes for their schools.
The Prodigy State Challenge drives engaging math practice through exciting monthly contests, with classes uniting across their school to battle others for major prizes and the title of monthly state champion. The contest culminates in a thrilling May finale, when the school in the U.S. to answer the most math questions correctly during that period earns the prestigious title of Prodigy National Cup Champion and a $100,000 tech grant.
“Inspiring and motivating students to discover a love of learning is at the heart of everything we do,” said Alex Peters, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Prodigy. “Our State Challenge takes game-based learning to the next level with exhilarating monthly contests to inspire even more math practice among students. With millions of participants and such a phenomenal prize pool, State Challenge adds yet another layer of motivation for students, while building school spirit by encouraging classrooms to team up in a friendly competition for a chance to become champions of their state — and maybe even bring home the first-ever Prodigy National Cup.”
There are more than 500 prizes up for grabs every month — leading all the way to the Prodigy National Cup showdown in May. Any U.S. classroom using Prodigy Math and with a teacher account attached to a school in Prodigy’s database is eligible to participate in State Challenge. Competing is free and simple:
February’s contest is live now, with last month’s first-ever State Challenge motivating countless schools to practice math. A full list of winners and runners-up for the January State Challenge and future monthly contests can be found here.
"We are incredibly proud of our students' outstanding achievement and in awe that we were able to win in such a competitive state," said Brandi Solis, teacher at Anna Kirchgater Elementary, winner in California with 101,000 correct questions. "Math has historically been a challenging subject for our students. This victory reflects their commitment to hard work, academic excellence, and the supportive environment fostered by our dedicated teachers and staff in igniting a love of continuous learning.”
Scott Woller, teacher at Medford Elementary School, winner in Wisconsin with 77,335 correct questions, said: “The students loved working together with peers from different classrooms, all striving toward the same goal. Outside of class, they kept the excitement going—talking, strategizing, and motivating each other to keep scoring points for the tournament. If they noticed someone falling behind, they didn’t leave them out—they jumped into battles together to help them earn more points. It was incredible to see teamwork in action.”
"We are incredibly proud of our students' dedication to improving their math skills and academic achievement with Prodigy," said Kathleen Connolly, Principal of East Elementary School, January winner in New York with 44,414 correct questions. "Prodigy has increased the students' excitement about math, and they have been super motivated to answer questions because of the Prodigy State Challenge.”
Alison Remer, teacher at Wildwood Elementary School and January winner in Michigan with 47,718 correct questions. "The friendly competition between other schools in the state and within our school's classrooms has also carried over to the students using Prodigy at home more frequently. I use Prodigy for formative assessments, and its adaptive nature makes learning fun.”
Prodigy Math is a research-based, standards-aligned math practice tool for first to eighth grade students. More than 10 million students learned with Prodigy in the last school year, exploring different worlds across Prodigy Island, going on quests, meeting magical characters, and rescuing and collecting pets — all while practicing teacher-assigned math skills. There is zero cost for teachers to use Prodigy, including access to a free teacher portal that delivers engaging assessments and detailed reports to track student progress and comprehension.
