The Mathematical Calender: The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM)

The Mathematical Calender:

The International Congress of Mathematicians

For the first post in my series I thought I'd start off with some of the largest, most prestigious events on the mathematical calender. Thus my first post is not on the Fields Medal, but the event where the Medal is awarded, the International Congress of Mathematicians, the largest academic event in mathematics.

The International Congress of Mathematicians

The International Congress of Mathematicians (the ICM) is the largest mathematical conference in the world. First started in 1897 in Switzerland it has been held every four years since 1900. Countries bid for the opportunity to host the event and as such it has been hosted across Europe and North America. In recent years the event has been held outside of America, Canada, and the European block and was last held in Seoul, South Korea, in 2014. The next time it will be held, August 1st-9th 2018, will be in Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. 

The congress in Brazil in 2018 will attract and host thousands of Mathematicians from around the world, and will be the first time the ICM has ever been held in a Latin America country. As such, in addition to the traditional invited speakers, the event will also highlight the progress made in the Latin America region with regards to research and the building of public awareness around mathematics.

During the opening ceremony a series of medals and prizes are awarded to celebrate mathematical achievement of the highest level from over the past four years. These include: the Fields Medal, the Nevalinna Prize, the Gauss Prize, and the Chern Medal. Perhaps the most prestigious award in Mathematics, or at the very least the most widely known, of these is the Fields Medal which is often referred to as the Mathematicians Nobel Prize. This Medal can be awarded to up to four Mathematicians under the age of 40 in recognition of outstanding contribution/s to some field of Mathematics.

Due to its sheer size, its international gathering, prestigous awards, and a wide variety of top speakers on cutting-edge mathematics, the ICM is often regarded as the most important mathematical event in world mathematics.

If you know of any events relating to mathematics then I'd love to know, it doesn't matter what county its in, just let me know by leaving a comment!