Build54 Undergraduate Prize in Mathematics 2025

Africa's technology sector desperately needs mathematical innovations that address unique continental challenges. From optimizing resource allocation in environments with unreliable infrastructure to developing compression techniques that make advanced AI accessible on basic smartphones, mathematical breakthroughs are essential.

Students must demonstrate how advanced mathematical concepts in model compression, optimization algorithms, cryptography, graph theory, or numerical methods can solve real problems facing African communities, businesses, and governments. The challenge is to bridge the gap between theoretical mathematics and practical applications that can scale across diverse African contexts.

The Best Undergraduate Final Year Project in Mathematics celebrates exceptional mathematical research and applications by Africa's brightest undergraduate students. This challenge recognizes that mathematical innovation forms the foundation of technological advancement and seeks projects that demonstrate both theoretical depth and practical application.

We welcome submissions in diverse mathematical domains including model compression techniques for machine learning, novel optimization algorithms for resource-constrained environments, cryptographic protocols for secure communications, graph theory applications to network problems, and numerical methods for AI systems. Projects should demonstrate rigorous mathematical analysis while addressing real-world challenges.

Successful projects will show mastery of advanced mathematical concepts, innovative problem-solving approaches, and clear practical applications. Whether you're developing new compression algorithms to make AI models accessible on low-end devices, creating optimization techniques for logistics in informal markets, or designing cryptographic systems for secure mobile banking, we want to see how mathematical theory translates into impactful solutions.

Projects will be evaluated on mathematical rigor, originality of approach, quality of implementation, and potential for real-world impact. Special consideration given to work that addresses uniquely African challenges or can be readily applied in resource-constrained environments.