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International Geography Olympiad

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The logo of the International Geography Olympiad

The International Geography Olympiad (iGeo) is an annual geography competition for secondary school students, organized by the International Geographical Union (IGU). It is one of the International Olympiads. The first iGeo was held in 1996. The competition was held biennially until 2012, when it switched to an annual format.

Students are chosen to represent their countries from national geography olympiads. The iGeo consists of three parts: a written test, a multimedia test, and a fieldwork exercise.

History

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The idea of an international geography competition was proposed by Polish and Dutch geographers during the 1994 Congress of the International Geographical Union (IGU) in Prague.[1][2] The first International Geography Olympiad (iGeo) was held in 1996 in The Hague, Netherlands, with five countries participating.[1][2] Similarly to other Olympiads, in early years most participants in the iGeo were from Europe (especially Eastern Europe), but the competition has seen steadily increasing attendance from around the world.[2]

Before 2012, the International Science Olympiads were held every two years, and some regional geography Olympiads were held during intervening years.[1] Since 2012, the International Geography Olympiad, like other Olympiads, has been held on a yearly basis.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 iGeo in Istanbul, Turkey was postponed.[3] The Olympiad was held in Istanbul between 11 and 15 August the following year, with 46 countries participating.[4] The Olympiad was held online once again in 2022, hosted by Paris.[5] In 2023, the iGeo returned to a physical format and it was held in Bandung, Indonesia.[6] The most recent Olympiad was held in Istanbul, Turkey in 2026 with 48 competing affiliations;[7] subsequent Olympiads will be held in Jelgava, Latvia in 2027 and Melbourne, Australia in 2028.[8]

Qualification

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Teams consist of up to four students between the ages of 16 and 19 from each participating country or region, accompanied by two adults.[9] Students may not have begun tertiary education, and may participate at most twice.[10][2] They are selected from among hundreds of thousands of students who participate in National Geography Olympiads each year, although these often vary in format from the iGeo.[9][10][11]

Adults accompanying the teams are expected to be involved in geography education; they are expected to both supervise the team's students, and to be involved in writing and/or marking tests.[10]

Format

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The test consists of three parts: a written response test, a multimedia test, and a fieldwork portion.[9][1][10] Questions are typically open ended, and designed to assess critical thinking skills.[2] They cover a wide range of topics across physical geography, human geography, and technical geography.[12] The fieldwork portion is intended to give students an opportunity to visit the host country, while developing and assessing their skills to observe, analyze, and graphically represent their environment.[13][12]

Question proposals for the written and multimedia tests are submitted by participating countries; final versions of the tests and rubrics, as well as the fieldwork portion, are prepared by IGU committees.[10][2] Some questions are to be complete individually, while others may be completed as a group. Tests are given only in English, and for ease of scoring answers are also required to be given in English.[10][13]

About half of participants receive a medal, with a ratio of 1:2:3 between gold, silver, and bronze.[10]

Member countries and regions

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Countries/regions participating in iGeo as of 2026

The countries and regions which participated in the 2026 International Geography Olympiad were:

A full list of participating teams for all past iGeos can be found on the iGeo website.[14]

Results

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Group photo at the 12th International Geography Olympiad in Russia in August 2015.
Written Response Test at the 11th International Geography Olympiad in Poland in August 2014.
Geographical Analysis Component of the Fieldwork Exercise at 11th International Geography Olympiad in Poland in August 2014.
Cartographic Representation Component of the Fieldwork Exercise at 12th International Geography Olympiad in Russia in August 2015.
Number Year Host country Host city Individual Olympiad Champion Best National Team 2nd National Team 3rd National Team Nations Participants
1 1996 Netherlands The Hague Belgium

Steven Pattheeuws

 Poland Slovenia Belgium 5 20
2 1998 Portugal Lisbon Poland

Katarzyna Kwiecińska

 Poland Slovenia Belgium 5 20
3 2000 South Korea Seoul Poland

Adam Biliski

 Poland Netherlands South Korea 13 52
4 2002 South Africa Durban Romania

Florin Olteanu

 Romania Poland Belarus 12 48
5 2004 Poland Gdańsk Poland

Maciej Hermanowicz

 Poland Estonia Romania 16 64
6 2006 Australia Brisbane Poland

Jacek Próchniak

 Poland Estonia Romania 23 92
7 2008 Tunisia Carthage Romania

Barbu Ion Alexandru

 Romania Estonia Australia 24 96
8 2010 Taiwan Taipei Romania

Barbu Ion Alexandru

 Singapore Australia Poland 27 108
9 2012 Germany Cologne Singapore

Samuel Chua

 Singapore Romania Poland 31 124
10 2013 Japan Kyoto Singapore

Daniel Wong

 Romania Croatia Singapore 32 128
11 2014[15] Poland Kraków USA

James Mullen

 Singapore Australia Romania 36 144
12 2015 Russia Tver Taiwan

Chang-Chin Wang

 Poland Romania Taiwan 40 159
13 2016 China Beijing Thailand

Wuttipat Kiratipaisarl

 Australia Singapore Thailand 45 173
14 2017 Serbia Belgrade Romania

Victor Vescu

 Poland Romania USA 41 160
15 2018 Canada Quebec City Russia

Alen Kospanov

 Romania Singapore USA 43 165
16 2019 Hong Kong Hong Kong USA

Albert Zhang

 Indonesia USA United Kingdom 43 166
— 2020 Postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic — — — — — — —
17 2021 Turkey Istanbul[a] Russia

Rustam Bigildin

 Russia Singapore Japan 46 180
18 2022 France Paris[a] Kazakhstan

Sanzhar Khamitov

 Singapore Lithuania Taiwan 54 216
19 2023 Indonesia Bandung Thailand

Passakarn Leewongcharoen

 Romania Singapore Hungary 45 177
20 2024 Ireland Dublin and Maynooth Romania

David-Mihai Dumitrescu

 USA Australia Indonesia 46 183
21 2025 Thailand Bangkok Belarus

Mikalai Misiyuk

 Lithuania Kazakhstan Poland 47 179
22 2026 Turkey Istanbul Kazakhstan

Andrey Yenbakhtov

 Lithuania Kazakhstan USA 48 184
23 2027 Latvia Jelgava — — — — — —
24 2028 Australia Melbourne — — — — — —
25 2029 Bulgaria Burgas — — — — — —
  1. 1 2 Officially designated host; the competition was actually held online
Awarding of an International Geography Olympiad Gold Medal at the Opening Ceremony of the International Geographical Union Conference in Moscow, Russia, in August 2015.
Gold Medal Winners from the 12th International Geography Olympiad at the Opening Ceremony of the International Geographical Union Conference in Moscow, Russia, in August 2015.

Nations by podium finishes

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Place National Team 1st, 2nd, 3rd Years Champions (Teams Participating) Years Runners Up (Teams) Years 3rd Place (Teams)
1st Poland 7, 1, 3 1996 (5), 1998 (5), 2000 (13), 2004 (16), 2006 (23), 2015 (40), 2017 (41) 2002 (12) 2010 (27), 2012 (31), 2025 (47)
2nd Romania 5, 3, 3 2002 (12), 2008 (24), 2013 (32), 2018 (43), 2023 (45) 2012 (31), 2015 (40), 2017 (41) 2004 (16), 2006 (23), 2014 (36)
3rd Singapore 4, 4, 1 2010 (27), 2012 (31), 2014 (36), 2022 (54) 2016 (45), 2018 (43), 2021 (46), 2023 (45) 2013 (32)
4th Australia 1, 3, 1 2016 (45) 2010 (27), 2014 (36), 2024 (46) 2008 (24)
5th Lithuania 2, 1, 0 2025 (47), 2026 (48) 2022 (54) —
6th USA 1, 1, 3 2024 (46) 2019 (43) 2017 (41), 2018 (43), 2026 (48)
7th Indonesia 1, 0, 1 2019 (43) — 2024 (46)
8th Russia 1, 0, 0 2021 (46) — —
9th Estonia 0, 3, 0 — 2004 (16), 2006 (23), 2008 (24) —
10th (tied) Slovenia 0, 2, 0 — 1996 (5), 1998 (5) —
10th (tied) Kazakhstan 0, 2, 0 — 2025 (47), 2026 (48) —
12th (tied) Croatia 0, 1, 0 — 2013 (32) —
12th (tied) Netherlands 0, 1, 0 — 2000 (13) —
14th (tied) Taiwan 0, 0, 2 — — 2015 (40), 2022 (54)
14th (tied) Belgium 0, 0, 2 — — 1996 (5), 1998 (5)
16th (tied) Japan 0, 0, 1 — — 2021 (46)
16th (tied) Hungary 0, 0, 1 — — 2023 (45)
16th (tied) Thailand 0, 0, 1 — — 2016 (45)
16th (tied) United Kingdom 0, 0, 1 — — 2019 (43)
16th (tied) South Korea 0, 0, 1 — — 2000 (13)
16th (tied) Belarus 0, 0, 1 — — 2002 (12)

Nations by individual victories

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Place Nation Wins World Champions Produced (Year)
1st Romania 5 David-Mihai Dumitrescu (2024), Victor Vescu (2017), Barbu Ion Alexandru (2010, 2008), Florin Olteanu (2002)
2nd Poland 4 Jacek Próchniak (2006), Maciej Hermanowicz (2004), Adam Biliski (2000), Katarzyna Kwiecińska (1998)
3rd (tied) Kazakhstan 2 Andrey Yenbakhtov (2026), Sanzhar Khamitov (2022)
3rd (tied) Russia 2 Rustam Bigildin (2021), Alen Kospanov (2018)
3rd (tied) Singapore 2 Daniel Wong (2013), Samuel Chua (2012)
3rd (tied) Thailand 2 Passakarn Leewongcharoen (2023), Wuttipat Kiratipaisarl (2016)
3rd (tied) USA 2 Albert Zhang (2019), James Mullen (2014)
8th (tied) Taiwan 1 Chang-Chin Wang (2015)
8th (tied) Belgium 1 Steven Pattheeuws (1996)
8th (tied) Belarus 1 Mikalai Misiyuk (2025)

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 "IGU – What is iGeo". www.geoolympiad.org. Archived from the original on 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2026-08-18.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chalmers, Lex; Berg, Kathryn (July 2014). "Changes, challenges and responsibilities in geographical education: The International Geography Olympiad". Geographia Polonica. 87 (2): 267–276. doi:10.7163/GPol.2014.17. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  3. ↑ iGeo 2020 - : info@igeo2020.org. "iGeo 2020". iGeo 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-05-10. Retrieved 2020-05-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ↑ "The 2021 iGeo – Istanbul, Turkey". iGeo 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  5. ↑ "IGU – iGeo 2022". www.geoolympiad.org. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  6. ↑ "IGU – iGeo 2023". www.geoolympiad.org. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  7. ↑ "IGU – iGeo 2026". www.igeo2026.org. Retrieved 2026-04-14.
  8. ↑ "International Geography Olympiad Homepage". International Geography Olympiad. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 van der Schee, Joop (15 August 2007). "The International Geography Olympiad". International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education. 16 (3): 268–270. doi:10.2167/irgee211A.0. Retrieved 18 August 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Statutes" (PDF). International Geography Olympiad. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  11. ↑ Bálint, Dóra (4 July 2025). "Towards One Aim Through Different Pathways – Similarities and Differences in National Qualifying Competitions for the International Geography Olympiad". Journal of Geography. 124 (4): 117–123. doi:10.1080/00221341.2025.2494988. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  12. 1 2 Artvi̇Nli̇, Eyüp; DöNmez, Leyla (29 October 2023). "What Geographical Skills do the International Geography Olympiad Aim to Measure? A Content Analysis of iGeo Questions". Osmangazi Journal of Educational Research. 10 (Special Issue): 173–198. doi:10.59409/ojer.1213392. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  13. 1 2 Winter, Kevin; Berg, Kath (15 August 2007). "Fieldwork and the International Geography Olympiad". International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education. 16 (3): 299–306. doi:10.2167/irgee211C.0. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  14. ↑ "History". International Geography Olympiad. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  15. ↑ "iGeo2014 Kraków". 2016-04-04. Archived from the original on 2016-04-04. Retrieved 2023-12-13.

Further reading

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