“Order Theory in the Age of Data, AI, and Computing”

1. The Singapore Mathematical Society is pleased to announce the theme for this year’s Essay Competition: “Order Theory in the Age of Data, AI, and Computing.” This theme invites students to explore one of the most fundamental ideas in mathematics — order — and how it shapes the modern world of data science, artificial intelligence, and computing.
2. At its core, order theory studies how things can be compared, ranked, structured, and organized. From simple notions like “greater than” and “less than” to complex hierarchies, networks, and decision systems, order plays a crucial role in how information is processed and understood. In today’s digital age, these ideas underpin many technologies, including machine learning algorithms, recommendation systems, search engines, and data classification methods.
3. This theme offers students a unique opportunity to connect abstract mathematical concepts with real-world applications. Students may explore how order helps machines learn from data, how hierarchies and partial information are handled in computing, or how mathematical structures guide reasoning, optimization, and decision-making. Essays may be theoretical, applied, or interdisciplinary, and creative perspectives are strongly encouraged.

Category A

1st Prize : SMSEC26036 – FCA in Data Analysis, NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, Li Yuansan and Ng Gen Long

2nd Prize : SMSEC26035 – Order Theory in Greedy Algorithms: Beam Search and More, NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, Li Xiaotian

3rd Prize : Not awarded

Honorable Mention: SMSEC26010 – From Order to Action: Mathematical Structures in the Intelligent System I²Pet, Hwa Chong Institution, Tan Jingkai

Category B

1st Prize : SMSEC26007 – Lexicographic Preference Ordering and Scalar Optimization in Artificial Intelligence Models, Hwa Chong Institution, Daniel Chew

2nd Prize : SMSEC26003 – Why More Data Creates Less Order: Partial Orders in AI Decision-Making, Hwa Chong Institution, Xu Zhitao, Joshua Seah and Yang Ziwei

3rd Prize : SMSEC26055 – Order Theory: The Mathematical Foundation of Distributed Systems, River Valley High School, He Shiyi

Honorable Mention: SMSEC26080 – From Möbius Inversion to Polynomial Invariants: A Structural Study of Ranked Posets, Anglican High School, Hua Xingqi

Honorable Mention: SMSEC26044 – When Nothing is Best: Partial Orders and the Limits of Optimisation in Artificial Intelligence, NUS High School of Math & Science, Anya Malik and Varshini Arunchalam

Honorable Mention: SMSEC26064 – Rebuilding the Semantic Web, St. Joseph’s Institution, Phyo Thet Pai

Category C

1st Prize : SMSEC26075 – Order Theory in Modelling Uncertainty for Monotonic Neural Networks, Tampines Meridian Junior College, Isaiah Kwok Shangming

2nd Prize : SMSEC26067 – Rethinking Comparison: Order Theory in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, River Valley High School, Denzel Lim Shek Kai, Chloe Ng En Yi and Shawn Lim Shuen Jun

3rd Prize : SMSEC26054 – Order Theory in Computing the Positional Evaluation of Games, Anglo-Chinese Junior College, Jayden Chua Qi Ze

3rd Prize : SMSEC26056 – {1,2,3,4}: Order Theory in the Age of Data, AI and Exclusive-OR, River Valley High School, Shi Mingzhu Pearl

Honorable Mention: SMSEC26025 – Ordering Food Chains Mathematically, Nanyang Junior College, Lim Zhe Quan Johan 

Honorable Mention: SMSEC26028 – The Evolution of Order Amidst Complexity, National Junior College, Tan Min Hean and Lee Jun Le Duncan

Honorable Mention: SMSEC26085 – The Mathematics of Musical Intention, Tampines Meridian Junior College, Priyanka T Raja