Stop Press: Geography Olympiad Results

Just a quick email from Cologne to let you know that we have received some fantastic news for our students:

Scott Cameron and Brent Coleman - Silver 

Overall we came 4th out of 32 countries

We also won the poster competition which was voted on by the students.  Atttached right is a photo of the team.

A further press release will come tomorrow.

Anna Wilson
Wellington East Girls' College

What is the Geography Olympiad?

New Zealand Geography Olympiad

Every two years gifted and talented young geographers in New Zealand have the chance to participate in the International Geography Olympiad (IGEO). The event was set up in 1992 and is organised for the International Geographical Union by the IGEO based in the Netherlands. The format of the competition is enshrined in the Olympiad statutes; the three formal tests include an extended writing assignment that explores geographical knowledge in depth, and a multimedia examination that requires the use of a wide range of geographical information in creative and innovative ways. The third and most challenging aspect of the Olympiad competition is the field work and cartography activities. The field work requires extended observation and recording of a variety of physical and cultural landscapes, followed by an activity that establishes the interpretive skills and cultural awareness of the participants. The related cartographic exercises test the conventions of cartographic visualization and representation within a very tight time frame.

Teams from New Zealand have participated in the Geography Olympiad with partial funding from the Government in events in Brisbane in 2006, Tunisia in 2008, Taipei in 2010 and now Cologne 2012.