The results are in! The Australian 2025 European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad (EGMO) team has placed Third in the world at the prestigious mathematical competition which was held 11-17 April 2025 in Pristina, Kosovo.
“Our four female students are to be congratulated for their great success at this year’s EGMO. These girls put in a very strong effort placing Third out of 56 participating countries,” said Mike Clapper, CEO of the Australian Maths Trust (AMT).
“The team achieved three Gold Medals, and One Silver, and our highest placed student, Amber Li, ranked an incredible 4th overall out of 219 competitors. This is a truly outstanding effort and speaks to the high calibre of our female students’ mathematical ability,” Mr Clapper continued.
The 2025 competition was the eighth year that Australia participated in EGMO, the premier international mathematical problem-solving contest for young women. In similar style to the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), two papers were taken on consecutive days. Participating countries send teams consisting of four female mathematicians of school age.
The Australian team placed Third this year, adding to several years of incredible achievement, which also saw the Australian teams place overall second in 2024, and third in both 2023 and 2022.
The full list of team members and their achievements are as follows:
- Amber Li, Pymble Ladies’ College, NSW – Year 11, GOLD MEDAL (individual rank: 4)
- Laura Nan, Fintona Girls’ School, VIC – Year 12, GOLD MEDAL (individual rank: 14)
- Olivia Sun, Lauriston Girls’ School, VIC – Year 10, GOLD MEDAL (individual rank: 21)
- Zihui Zhang, Clayfield College, QLD – Year 12, SILVER MEDAL (individual rank: 42)
“This year’s team worked incredibly hard to prepare, travel to Kosovo and take part in the 2025 EGMO, and their individual rankings and overall team result is a testament to their hard work and talent in mathematics. Congratulations to the team!” Mr Clapper concluded.
The 2025 EGMO team was supported by their Team Leader, Michelle Chen, herself a former IMO medallist, and Deputy Leader Elizabeth Yevdokimov.
AMT’s 2025 EGMO initiative is supported by the Australian Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources through the Inspiring Australia – Science Engagement Programme. It is also supported by the Trust’s National Sponsor of the Australian Informatics and Mathematical Olympiad Programs, Optiver.
For more information on EGMO 2025 visit European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad: EGMO 2025 in Kosovo
For more information on AMT visit https://amt.edu.au/.
INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES:
The EGMO team students are currently returning to Australia from Kosovo and will be available for media interviews from Tuesday 22 April 2025.
MEDIA CONTACTS: For more information, photos and interviews with the EGMO team or Mike Clapper, please contact Lauren Griffiths, Threesides Marketing, at 0417 409 264 or lauren.griffiths@threesides.com.au or Tash Morrison, Threesides Marketing, on (02) 6249 1117 or tash.morrison@threesides.com.au
MEDIA BACKGROUNDER
The European Girls’ Mathematical Olympiad Australian team for 2025 comprised:
Laura Nan – Year 12, Fintona Girls’ School, VIC
Previous achievements in Mathematics
- Gold medal, IMO 2024 (International Mathematical Olympiad.)
- Gold medal, EGMO 2024.
- Perfect score in 2024 ASC (AMOC Senior Contest.)
- Perfect score and gold medal, EGMO 2023.
- Gold medal, AMOC Senior Contest (ASC) 2023.
- Peter O’Halloran Award and Cheryl Praeger Award at the Australian Mathematics Competition, 2023.
- Silver medal, Australian Mathematical Olympiad (AMO) 2022.
What excites you about mathematics?
In a world that feels more chaotic and sometimes overwhelming by the day, maths feels like a beacon of stability in my life. Unlike the other sciences, there is very little that new discoveries can do to uproot old ones – we may discover new ways of viewing mathematics, prove new theorems, but 2 will always be a prime in the integers. And when I do learn new perspectives on maths it’ll be safely built on top of previous ones, always just off the edge of my comfort zone.
Advice to other young women wanting to challenge themselves
I think the most important thing you can do is use these experiences to connect with other people. Even though you sit the paper by yourself, Olympiads are still very much a team event and it’s so important to have a good support network to uplift and learn from each other. When it feels challenging, knowing that someone else believes in you can make all the difference in the world because they will see your strengths when you when you’re overfocusing on everything you can do better.
Interests and hobbies outside of mathematics
Chatting with other maths enthusiasts, badminton, listening to music, losing the game, making the smallest origami cranes humanly possible and playing board/card games.
Amber Li – Year 11, Pymble Ladies’ College NSW
Previous achievements in Mathematics
- Gold medal, EGMO 2024.
- IMO Honourable Mention 2024.
What excites you about mathematics?
The depth of mathematical knowledge and the fact that there is an endless amount of mathematics to be discovered and constructed.
Advice to other young women wanting to challenge themselves
Don’t be afraid to fail, because everyone needs to fail before they succeed, and have faith in what you can achieve with perseverance. Also, STEM (even pure mathematics) presents a huge range of opportunities and career choices – it is well worth giving it a shot.
Plans/goals after school
I’m planning to study maths at university and hope to go into research, either pure or applied.
Interests and hobbies outside of mathematics
Debating, fencing, badminton, biology, and reading.
Olivia Sun – Year 10, Lauriston Girls’ School, VIC
Previous achievements in Mathematics
- Silver medal, ASC 2024.
- Gold medal, ASC 2023
- Silver medal, AMO 2024
- Peter O’Halloran Award and Cheryl Praeger Award at the Australian Mathematics Competition, 2022 and 2023.
What excites you about mathematics?
I like how there is always an answer, and yet, multiple ways of achieving it. I also love the creative aspects of maths, forming different ideas and then testing them; I love how you can suddenly understand the problem.
Advice to other young women wanting to challenge themselves
Just go for it. There will always be people willing to support you if you choose to put in the effort down this path. Nobody is the same, and neither are their journeys, so don’t feel intimidated and believe in yourself, even when you feel stuck.
What are you looking forward to at EGMO
I’m (nervously) excited to participate in the EGMO for the first time and will hopefully do my best. I look forward to spending time with the team, as well as hopefully meeting people from other teams
Interests and hobbies outside of mathematics
I love to read whenever I have time. In particular, I like the fantasy and crime genres. I also play netball at school, which is an interest I share with a lot of my friends.
Zihui Zhang – Year 12, Clayfield College, QLD
- Gold medal, ASC 2023 and 2024
- Gold medal AMO 2024
What excites you about mathematics?
It’s challenging.
Advice to other young women wanting to challenge themselves
Believe in yourself and put efforts in to achieve what you desire.
What are you looking forward to at EGMO
To meet girls passionate about math around the world.
Plans/goals after school
Contribute to the advancement of mathematics