The Australian team achieved fifth place at the 2023 International Geography Olympiad.
Students from 45 countries took part in the 2023 International Geography Olympiad, held in person for the first time since 2019, in Bandung, Indonesia, from 8-14 August. Representing Australia were:
Adit Mahidadia, Sydney Boys High School, NSW
Jasmine Ye, Meriden School, NSW
Marcus Len, Normanhurst Boys High School, NSW
Thomas Lin, Canberra Grammar School, ACT
The work of all four students earned medals. Adit achieved a bronze medal, Jasmine and Marcus achieved silver medals and Thomas achieved a gold medal, ranking 4th from 177 students.
The iGeo programme involves three academic challenges over the course of a week: a written response test, a multimedia test and a fieldwork exercise. The programme also included poster presentations by teams, and events where students share the local culture and give team presentations.
Kath Berg, Australian Team Leader commented that “The iGeo is a prestigious international contest. It inspires active interest in geographical studies among students and contributes to greater intercultural understanding through the friendships developed between students from different countries.”
The iGeo was such a great and enjoyable event. It was undoubtedly one of the best weeks of my life, and having a medal to show for it made the experience even better.
The 2024 International Geography Olympiad will be held in Dublin, Ireland. Australia’s team has been selected from students who participated in the 2023 Australian Geography Competition, via Geography’s Big Week Out.
Geography’s Big Week Out and Australia’s participation in the Olympiad are supported by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment, the University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales, Monash University, The University of Queensland, Curtin University and the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience.