The 19th edition of the 2026 Golden Cup, the team mathematics competition for secondary schools organised by MIGe, the Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Geosciences of UniTS, has come to an end in the University's Aula Magna.

Organised in collaboration with the head of the Mathematics Olympiad for the Province of Trieste (Prof. Amalia Abbate) and the organisers of the competition in Genoa, the competition is an opportunity to introduce students to this subject in a fun and entertaining way. 

In 2026, after twenty years, the Coppa Aurea returns to Trieste: the G. Galilei secondary school has won the competition. Apart from the very first editions, in 2005 and 2006, won by the G. Oberdan High School in Trieste, in subsequent years the cup was almost always won by teams from Veneto (in particular from the provinces of Treviso and Padua), with the sole exception of Gorizia in 2008.  After coming second in 2025, the Trieste high school, with its 1266 points, managed to take home the cup in the 19th edition this year.

The ‘I 7 del Leone’ team from the L. da Vinci high school in Treviso came second with 1127 points, while ‘Gente poco seria’ from the I. Nievo high school in Padua won the bronze medal with 911 points. The ‘Goats of Levi’ team from the IIS P. Levi high school in Montebelluna also qualified for the national final in Cesenatico, thanks to their fourth place finish with 902 points.

Twenty-six secondary schools from the four provinces of Friuli Venezia Giulia and the provinces of Padua, Treviso and Venice took part in the 2026 edition. After a ten-year absence, an Italian-language Croatian school from Pula also returned to participate. Each school was represented by a team of seven students, who competed against each other in mathematical problems and questions.

From Trieste, the G. Oberdan high school, the ISIS Carducci-Dante, the ISIS J. Stefan, the ITS A. Volta and, for the first time, the E. and U. Nordio art school, the ISIS Da Vinci-Carli-Sandrinelli and the International School of Trieste also took part.

At the same time, in 38 Italian cities, 713 teams comprising a total of 4,991 secondary school students tackled the same problems to earn a place in the national final in Cesenatico, which will take place in May. There was a significant female presence, demonstrating that STEM subjects are becoming increasingly attractive. 

The Coppa Aurea will be up for grabs again in the next edition and will become the permanent property of the school that wins it three times. Currently, the I. Nievo secondary school in Padua has already won two editions. One victory each went to Da Vinci in Treviso, Levi in Montebelluna and Galilei in Trieste.