Young Geographers of the Year 2023 announced

The winners of the 2023 Young Geographer of the Year competition were announced at an awards ceremony at the Society on Friday 8 December. 

Young Geographer of the Year is our international competition to encourage pupils to engage with geographical issues. The theme for 2023 was A blueprint for the future, with entrants being invited to share innovative ideas to address problems in areas such as food production and supply, energy and sustainability, resources, population growth, travel, biodiversity and more. 

Professor Joe Smith, the Society’s Director, said, “Congratulations to the winners and everyone who took part in the competition. The entries we received were truly inspiring and there were a great number of exceptional entries that provided effective solutions to deal with topical challenges. 

“As a global community we are facing many complex geographical problems now which will become increasingly critical in the future. The ‘blueprints’ submitted give me hope that the next generation of geographers are well equipped with the skills and understanding to drive forward the changes needed to ensure a sustainable future.”

The day also saw environmental broadcaster Tom Heap FRGS reflect on the theme of this year’s competition and discuss ways to relieve the stress that climate change is exerting on the planet.

The Young Geographer of the Year competition recognises the best entries across four categories: Key Stage 2 (pupils aged 7-11); Key Stage 3 (11-14 years); Key Stage 4/GCSE (14-16 years); and Key Stage 5/A Level (16-18 years). The judges were very impressed with the range, quality, and number of competition entries received.

The overall category winners for 2023 are:

• KS2: Gene Jutatreeraparp from Shrewsbury International School in Bangkok
• KS3: Tamana Sawmynaden from The Tiffin Girls' School in Kingston upon Thames 
• KS4: Fin Dobson from Sandbach School in Sandbach
• A Level or equivalent: Annabel Quill from Mayfield School in East Sussex

The Young Geographer of the Year competition is run by the Society in conjunction with Geographical magazine and is kindly supported by Cotswold Outdoor, Esri UK, Ordnance Survey and Philip’s Atlases.

See the full list of winners and highly commended pupils on the webpage.