The latest news and updates in geography and higher education
We are delighted to announce that the Inflexion Foundation have partnered with the Society as a new Corporate Benefactor.
We have worked with Endurance22 to produce free KS1 and KS2 teaching resources about Shackleton and Antarctica.
We are proud to partner with Ordnance Survey (OS) to provide opportunities for teachers to improve their teaching of map skills and online mapping.
A new series of the Society's Professional insights webinars, providing careers support for Associate Fellows, is starting on Tuesday 7 February.
The Society has published a new report on the contributions of geographers and geography in shaping the law and legal proceedings.
We have moved our LinkedIn presence for Chartered Geographers and those wishing to become chartered to a new, single showcase page.
We are delighted to announce the theme and open submissions for the Society’s 2023 Annual International Conference.
This festive season, give a gift that expands the horizons of someone you love with gift membership to the Society.
Find out about Collaborative Doctoral Programme PhD student, Beth Williamson’s, project to understand how the Society tackled the problem of ‘orthography’ in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
As the end of the year approaches, it's a good time for Chartered Geographers to review and reflect on the CPD they've undertaken over the year.
Applications for the 2023 Wiley Digital Archive Research Fellowships are now open.
To mark the centenary of the first European expeditions to Mount Everest in the early 1920s, the Society is exploring and reflecting on the context, depiction, and legacy of these early expeditions.
Find out about upcoming training sessions for undergraduate, postgraduate or recent graduates interested in becoming Geography Ambassadors.
Tune in to BBC Radio 4 today at 4.00pm to hear Lynne Anderson describe her Journey of a Lifetime.
Watch our new on-demand application accelerator sessions and get support for your application for Chartered Geographer (Teacher).
Congratulations to the 17 Society Fellows who were recently awarded Chartered Geographer status by Council. Over 1,000 Chartered Geographers have now been accredited.
Find out more about this year's Journey of a Lifetime Award recipient and how to apply for your own unique journey.
The Society is seeking two new editors for its open access journal, Geo: Geography and Environment.
Sally Earthrowl will be speaking in Stamford and Exeter as part of the Society’s Regional Theatres Programme this October, so we caught up with her to find out what audiences can expect.
Apply for undergraduate or master's programme accreditation by the end of September.
The final day of conference saw another full programme of events.
Day two of the conference saw a packed programme of events.
Today we welcomed delegates to the first day of this year’s Annual International Conference.
The Society's Council has called a Special General Meeting as it is proposing some changes to our Bye Laws.
The Society’s Rural Geography Research Group marks its 50th Anniversary with a mini-conference.
The Society’s Disaster Risk Management Professional Practice Group (DRM PPG) interviewed professionals working in disaster risk management about the role of geography in their work and careers.
Congratulations to everyone receiving their geography A Level results today.
We are pleased to announce our latest online exhibition: Lost lands - hidden stories of sand mining on the Mekong River.
The Society has brought together a new series of resources for grant reviewers - find out more and become a reviewer
We are delighted to announce that the programme for this year's Annual International Conference has been finalised.
The Society recognises CPD that is appropriate for the requirements of Chartered Geographer with our Assessed for CGeog mark.
Find out more about the research of our Small Research Grant recipients for 2022.
Find out more about the Society's 2022 Postgraduate Research Award recipients and their work.
After two years of disruption to travel and field research, undergraduate and masters students are back in the field.
Throughout the last month we’ve been encouraging professionals to take a look at their continuing professional development (CPD) activities.
Professor Mike Hulme, founding Editor in Chief for the journal WIREs Climate Change, has announced his decision to step down from this role at the end of this year.
The number of candidates for GCSE and A Level geography rise again.
An exciting new project aiming to increase the diversity of students choosing geography at A Level and beyond.
Discover our award-winning interactive teaching and learning resources on the Weddell Sea.
Congratulations to the newest members of our Council, elected at our Annual General Meeting yesterday.
This June, the Society is marking a month of CPD-related activity for professional geographers.
Our Professional team will be at several high-profile geographical events this May.
Registration for our annual conference is open for both in-person and virtual-only attendance.
Congratulations to our Fellows who were recently awarded Chartered Geographer status by Council.
We caught up with Wiley Research Fellow, Nokmedemla Lemtur from the University of Göttingen, Germany, to discuss her research.
The newest addition to the RGS-IBG book series, Defensible Space on the Move: Mobilisation in English Housing Policy and Practice, is now available to order online.
The Society commissioned a survey to discover more about the views of young people on their choices of subjects to study at school and university, and what influences their career choices.
The International Geographical Union, of which the Society is a full member, has suspended the IGU National Committee of Russia.
The Society is delighted to announce the appointment of a new Editorial Board for our academic journal Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers.
The call for papers for our Postgraduate Forum’s Mid-Term Conference, which will take place on Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 April, is now open.
Through Teacher Tap, the Society recently conducted a survey of approximately 2,000 primary geography teachers to understand what support they have received for teaching geography during their careers.
As part of the Society’s commitment to support teachers to provide meaningful, fun and curriculum relevant fieldwork experiences, we are running a range of training events over the coming months for both primary and secondary geography teachers.
To mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science we are sharing an interview with Jo Shannon, Director of Technology and Design at Ordnance Survey.
The Society is excited to announce the 2022 Earth Photo competition is open for entries.
Nominations are now open for the 2022 Geography in Government Awards, which celebrate geographers and geographical work across government.
The Society has published a series of key resources for current and prospective external examiners in geography.
To mark the centenary of Shackleton’s death, a new exhibition, Shackleton’s legacy and the power of early Antarctic photography, will be on display in the Society’s Pavilion from 7 February.
A new report outlining the results and outcomes of the Society’s field research programme, Migrants on the margins, is now available to read online.
Last year, we welcomed eight interns, funded by the Antipode Foundation and the Society with support from Black Geographers, to support the 2021 Annual International Conference.
Join our Author meets critics session with author of Respatialising Finance: Power, Politics and Offshore Renminbi Market Making in London, Professor Sarah Hall of University of Nottingham.
Every year our medals and awards recognise geographers who have made a significant contribution to geographical research, fieldwork, teaching, policymaking, and public engagement.
Congratulations to all of the geographers who were recognised in the 2022 New Year Honours list, many of whom are Fellows of the Society.
The Ron Cooke Award recognises A Level students’ work towards the independent investigation, also known as the NEA.
The Society recently co-hosted the Geography in Government Conference 2021, providing a platform for geographers across the public sector to share their expertise and experience.
We are delighted to announce our latest online exhibition: Through the lens of Carleton Watkins.
A geography course at the University of Chester has become the latest to be recognised via the Society’s programme accreditation scheme.
The Society’s journal, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, has published the first collection of essays in a new section, titled Geography in the world.
Congratulations to Paul Greenhalgh, Berkhamsted Boys’ School, who is the recipient of this year’s Rex Walford Award.
Yesterday evening the recipients of our 2020 and 2021 medals and awards gathered at the Society for a celebration of their outstanding contributions to geographical research, fieldwork, teaching, policy, and public engagement.
Our current exhibition, Lights and Shadows, is on display in the Pavilion until Friday 10 December.
Ten editorial board members are being sought for the Society’s academic journal, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers.
Earlier this year, the Society and the Association for Geographic Information collaborated on a series of panel events exploring ethical issues in location data use.
There has never been a better or more important time to study geography at university, but the application process, particularly writing your personal statement, can seem daunting.
The Government Geography Profession is hosting its fourth annual conference at the end of November.
Today marks the start of the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, taking place in Glasgow.
Thinking about studying geography at university? With the growing importance of issues such as climate change, migration, environmental degradation, spatial epidemiology and inequalities, the world has never needed geographers more.
The Society’s 45th annual fieldwork and planning seminar this November is a weekend for anyone aspiring to undertake original geographical field research.
The heads of geography departments at UK universities have agreed a set of principles to guide undergraduate fieldwork in the future.
The Society’s open access journal Geo: Geography and Environment, has just launched a new open collection on urban ecologies.
The Society has recently installed a specially commissioned portrait by visual artist Steve Russell to commemorate the COVID-19 era.
In preparation for the Society’s upcoming fieldwork grants deadlines, we are running a series of free webinars for students looking to secure funding for fieldwork in 2022.
As the new school year starts, remember we have lots of resources to support with the teaching and learning of geography.
At the SGM on Monday 6 September, the Society’s Fellowship voted to amend the Bye Laws as proposed by the Society’s Council.
Day three of our Annual International Conference had another packed programme with 228 sessions happening across 38 stages, both online and in person.
This week, one of the Society’s journals, Area, has published a new special section, Geographies of labour in a changing climate.
With just one week to go until the 2021 Annual International Conference, we have put together some programme highlights from across the week which you won’t want to miss.
The first in the next batch of episodes of our partnered BBC Radio 4 series, 39 Ways to Save the Planet, will be broadcast today.
On 6 August, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) released their long-awaited new open access policy.
We are delighted to announce that the call for proposals for AHRC-funded Collaborative Doctoral Awards to start in 2022 is now open.
Rosie Hallam has won the 2021 Earth Photo competition with her stunning triptych A Right to an Education.
Congratulations to our Fellows who were recently awarded Chartered Geographer status by our Council.
Earlier this month, the editors of the Society’s journals and book series, along with the publishers, Wiley, met to discuss the publications over the past year and to look forward to the future.
We are delighted to be supporting a new project, led by Nottingham Trent University, which utilises artificial intelligence (AI) to uncover the mysteries of important historical artworks including watercolour paintings, maps and botanical drawings.
Over the past few months, the Society’s five current PhD students have continued to carry out their research on the Collections, as well as a number of associated activities related to their projects.
The deadline for early bird registration for this year’s Annual International Conference is fast approaching, and with a packed programme of sessions planned you don’t want to miss out.
Congratulations to our Fellows who were awarded Chartered Geographer status by our Council earlier this week.
This month we caught up with Catherine Oliver and Karen Rann to discuss their research, why they applied for the Fellowship and what they’re hoping to find in the digital archives.
If you’re planning a conference, lecture or meeting over the coming weeks and months as coronavirus restrictions ease, look no further than the Society’s COVID-secure venue.
Geography Directions is delighted to have partnered with the ESRC LSSI-funded Pride in the Field (PIF): Promoting Inclusive Fieldwork for LGBTQ+ Researchers project to curate a blog series which aims to spotlight LGBTQ+ inclusive fieldwork practices and experiences.
The Society has published a briefing report summarising the actions needed by national and local policymakers, planners, designers and developers, and local communities, to achieve the widespread benefits of blue-green infrastructure (BGI).
The Society’s Quantitative Methods Research Group (QMRG), in collaboration with the Spatial Analytics and Data (SAD) Seminar Series, have launched Spatial Analytics and Data: the interviews, a forum for dialogue among researchers united by an interest in geographic data and spatial analytics.
Following Monday’s announcement from the Prime Minister of a four-week delay in any further relaxation in coronavirus restrictions, the Society has updated its plan for reopening to visitors.
This week has marked International Archives Week, an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of the effective management of records and the preservation, care and use of the world's archival heritage.
The Geographical Journal, one of the Society’s four academic journals, has published a new editorial, The Future of The Geographical Journal: Engaging with Public Issues.
Nigel Clifford was recently elected unopposed as the Society’s next President. We caught up with him before he takes office on Monday 7 June to find out more about him and his life in geography.
We caught up with Professor Phil Ashworth, recipient of the Cuthbert Peek Award for his pioneering research methods through modelling of river dynamics, to discuss his career, greatest achievement, and most memorable fieldwork moments.
This year our medals and awards recognise 23 different people or organisations for their outstanding contributions to geographical research, fieldwork and teaching, and public engagement.
This May, the Great Exhibition Road Festival is celebrating 170 years since Hyde Park was transformed for the Great Exhibition of 1851.
As part of the CARICUK research project, an event discussing the original artwork Dreading the Map, which is currently installed in the Society’s Map Room, is taking place on Monday 24 May.
Today marks one year since we launched a call for contributions on COVID-19 on the Society’s research blog, Geography Directions.
We are saddened to hear of the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.
The Society’s Climate Change Research Group have announced the winners of their competition seeking the most effective, original and engaging ways to encourage action on climate change.
Ordnance Survey (OS) and the Society are delighted to have signed an agreement which extends OS’s corporate support of our activities for a further three years.
We are delighted to be partnering with a number of geographers, leading UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funded research projects, to further our understanding of the world, its people, places and environments.
We’re excited to announce this year’s Earth Photo competition is open for entries.
As part of our International Women’s Day celebrations, the Society's Disaster Risk Management PPG spoke to six women geographers working in Disaster Risk Management (DRM).
The newest addition to the RGS-IBG book series, Bodies, Affects, Politics: The Clash of Bodily Regimes, is now available to order online.
We are delighted to be a partner of the Stay home stories research project which aims to understand how ideas and experiences of home have changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Society has recently responded to several government and sector consultations, advocating for the ways in which geographical skills, knowledge and understanding underpins good decision-making and improves understanding of the world around us.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, students have been turning to virtual ways to develop their skills and gather work experience while staying at home.
Applications are now open for a PhD studentship on the Society’s Collections, as part of our Collaborative Doctoral Awards programme.
We caught up with former Cherry Kearton Medal and Award recipients Steve McCurry and Tacita Dean to discuss what the award meant to them.
We have a number of volunteer roles available on our Finance Committee, Investment subcommittee and Enterprise company board, commencing in the summer of 2021.
Following the cancellation of this summer’s exams due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Department for Education and Ofqual have opened a consultation on how GCSE and A Level grades should be assessed and awarded in 2021.
A new report exploring the career destinations of graduates highlights the increasingly vital need for geographers in the graduate job market.
Applying to universtity to study geography? Read our top tips on writing a good UCAS personal statement.
We are delighted to share our spring events programme, full of interesting topics, ideas, and insight.
Congratulations to all of the geographers who were recognised in the 2021 New Year Honours list, many of whom are Fellows of the Society.
This festive season, we asked Society Director, Professor Joe Smith, about what books he’ll be reading over the winter break.
Jonk has won the 2020 Earth Photo competition for his stunning series Coffee Shop, Abkhazia; Hotel, Portugal; Swimming Pool, Italy and Theater, Abkhazia, which depict abandoned spaces reclaimed by nature.
Are you planning events for 2021 and looking for a venue? The Society is an iconic venue that offers event organisers state-of-the-art audiovisual broadcast and recording facilities to deliver their events online.
The Society commissioned a significant piece of independent research using the Department for Education’s National Pupil Database and linked HESA data to know more about who is choosing to study geography at different levels.
Every year our medals and awards recognise geographers who have made a significant contribution to geographical research, fieldwork, teaching, policymaking and public engagement.
Chartered Geographers and Fellows of the Society are marking GIS Day with events and celebrations, highlighting applications of the technology and the impact it can have on solving problems and enabling good decision-making.
To mark London Climate Action Week, we’ve collated a list of five lectures and talks that you must watch this week.
Geo: Geography and Environment the Society’s open access, online-only journal has had a recent upgrade which now allows audio and video files to be hosted directly within its articles.
Join our Author meets critics session with author of Home SOS, Professor Katherine Brickell of Royal Holloway, University of London.
Congratulations to our Fellows who were awarded Chartered Geographer status by our Council in September.
To mark Black History Month this year, we will be featuring Black geographers from the 1800s to the present day who have a connection to the Society and who have contributed to a better understanding of our world.
As the new academic year begins, why not gift Society membership to the Young Geographer in your life?
Our autumn programme of teacher CPD events is now available to book online.
Congratulations to everyone receiving their GCSE geography results today.
We are delighted to announce applications for our Wiley Digital Archive Research Fellowships are open.
Congratulations to everyone receiving their A Level geography results today.
Do you have a journey you want to share with others? Can you inspire, entertain and engage a public audience? Have you always wanted to speak on the Society’s Ondaatje Theatre stage? If so, apply now to become one of 2021’s microlecturers.
This year the Society's Research Groups will be holding their AGMs online.
The Society is looking to revive our Urban Geography Research Group this summer and we are seeking enthusiastic urban geographers to join the new committee to take the group forward.
A shortlist of 50 of the best environmental photographs and four films that document the Earth in all its diversity, have been selected for the Society’s Earth Photo competition, opening as a virtual exhibition today.
Over the last year our Geographies of Children, Youth and Families Research Group (GCYFRG) have been profiling researchers active in their part of the discipline, through their Researcher in the Spotlight series.
The latest addition to the RGS-IBG book series, Home SOS: Gender, Violence, and Survival in Crisis Ordinary Cambodia, is now available to order online.
Our Digital Geographies Research Group (DGRG) are holding their annual symposium on Wednesday 1 July, on Using the Digital: Methodologies, Teaching, and Everyday Practice.
We’re excited to announce that our 2022 Annual International Conference will be held at Newcastle University between Tuesday 30 August and Friday 2 September 2022.
The Geospatial Commission launched its National Geospatial Strategy yesterday.
We are delighted to announce the recipients of our 2019 Excellence Awards and congratulate the students who achieved the highest marks nationally in last year’s summer examinations.
The annual dissertation prizes offered by the Society, our Research Groups, the Quaternary Research Association and the British Society for Geomorphology are now open for submissions.
The Society stands in solidarity with Black communities globally against racism and inequality, and joins the global calls to reaffirm that Black lives matter following the shocking and tragic death of George Floyd.
Congratulations to the newest members of our Council, who were elected at our Annual General Meeting (AGM) yesterday.
New data released by the Department for Education show that over 81% of master’s level geography graduates were in sustained employment, further study, or both, five years after graduation.
We caught up with two of the co-editors, Professor Hilary Geoghegan and Dr Julian Leyland, for our journal Area.
The Society and the Financial Times are pleased to announce the launch of our joint School Essay Competition for 2020.
This year our medals and awards recognise 22 different people or organisations for their outstanding contributions to geographical research, fieldwork and teaching, artwork, and public engagement.
The Society is delighted to announce the signing of an agreement with the Association for Geographic Information (AGI) that continues the strategic alliance between the two organisations.
Society medal recipient Professor Mark Birkin is leading a key workstream of The Rapid Assistance in Modelling the Pandemic (RAMP) initiative.
With the Society currently closed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, our summer programme of Monday night lectures is being streamed online for Fellows and members.
The global coronavirus pandemic has led to significant disruption to the fieldwork plans of many researchers. The Society, through its grants programme, is continuing to select and commit funding for researchers who plan to go into the field when it is safe and responsible to do so.
To mark Earth Day, we’re making our recent Monday night lecture by Dr Tamsin Edwards ‘What fate for Antarctica’ free to view for one week until Wednesday 29 April.
The Society is expanding its university programme accreditation scheme this autumn to include UK geography Master’s programmes.
The latest episode of our Ask the geographer podcast, features East Londoner Victoria Ayodeji and her remarkable journey from Hackney to the University of Cambridge.
New research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has concluded that university study is a good investment for most students, with those pursuing higher education better off after taxes, student loan repayments and foregone earnings are accounted for.
To mark the centenary of Eric Newby’s birth, an exhibition of stunning photographs from his lifetime of travels is now on display in our Pavilion.
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has published a new edition of the Subject Benchmark Statement for Geography.
The February issue of Geographical is available now both online and in print.
The RGS-IBG book series turns 20 this year, and to date it has published 57 titles spanning the full range of geographical research topics.
We are closed completely between Tuesday 24 December 2019 and Wednesday 1 January 2020, inclusive.
The latest addition to the RGS-IBG book series, Geographies of anticolonialism: political networks across and beyond south India, c.1900-1930, is now available to order online.
In response to Professor Danny Dorling’s comments about geography degrees, the Society has released the following statement.
Last week over 50 secondary geography teachers visited the Society to share their ideas and good practice for teaching geography in the classroom, as part of our annual TeachMeet event.
Our next Annual International Conference will be held at the Society in London from Tuesday 1 to Friday 4 September 2020, and the call for sessions, papers and posters is now open.
The winners of the 2019 Young Geographer of the Year competition and Rex Walford Award were presented with their awards in a ceremony held at the Society on Tuesday 12 November.
The RGS-IBG Postgraduate Forum’s 2020 Midterm Conference takes place between 30 April – 1 May and the call for papers is now open.
It’s Ada Lovelace Day and we’re sharing some profiles of women working across a wide range of roles – all of whom studied geography at undergraduate or postgraduate level.
We are delighted that our Migrants on the margins resources have been awarded the 4-star award, in the Curriculum Impact category, of the Teach Secondary 2019 Awards.
We are delighted to welcome our newest Collaborative Doctoral Award student, Alice Oates, who has started her PhD project exploring the governance of Antarctica.
Our popular Monday night lecture series kicks off again next week with a diverse range of topics, mixing far-flung travels with scientific rigour, and exploring some of the most topical issues facing society today.
The latest addition to the RGS-IBG book series, Geopolitics and the event: rethinking Britain’s Iraq war through art, is now available to order online.
Research on soil ecology, fertility apps and climate change influencers was presented at our conference yesterday.
Members of the Migrants on the margins team will be presenting their research in a session at this year’s Annual International Conference.
This year we are making a concerted effort to raise awareness around the sustainability of our Annual International Conference.
The Society took over the Forum stage for a day at the Wilderness Festival entertaining and inspiring festival-goers with geography.
The Migrants on the margins team were at the Hargeisa International Book Fair last week to present their research to the local community.
Congratulations to all our Teacher Training Scholars who have completed either their first year of teaching or their training as part of our Scholarship programme.
Fifty years ago today, Commander Neil Armstrong, Col. Edwin Eugene ‘Buzz’ Aldrin and Lt. Col. Michael Collins successfully completed the first mission to land a person on the moon.