2024 competition

Entering the 2024 competition 

The Rex Walford Award is for trainees or teachers who are in an early career stage (first five years), including students enrolled on a PGCE, SCITT or School Direct programme, alongside Teach First geographers, NQTs and colleagues at an early career stage.

Entrants are asked to produce a scheme of work, including at least three lessons, that explores the theme of ‘Choose Geography’. We would also be interested to see (where possible) examples of pupils’ work that has resulted from the lessons, and hope that entrants encourage their students to create and submit entries for our Young Geographer of the Year competition 2024 which focuses on the same theme.

The scheme of work created can be aimed at any Key Stage eligible to enter the Young Geographer of the Year competition, and must include:

• A short scheme of work
• At least 3 lesson plans
• Resources to accompany those lessons
• Examples of pupil work if possible

We are interested to see lesson plans and accompanying resources which encourage students to think about:

• Why geography is a useful and relevant subject to study
• Why studying geography matters
• How geography and geographical skills can help you to understand a range of ideas and concepts
• The skills that geographers have that make them stand out from the crowd
• Where geography can take you and the jobs that geographers do
• How geographers make a difference
• What parts of geography they find the most interesting and useful to study and why.

The Young Geographer of the Year competition asks students to:

Key Stage 2 criteria: Submit a poster that encourages students to explore geography, including what you like most about the subject and why it is useful to learn about the world and the people who live in it.

Key Stage 3 criteria: Submit a poster that encourages students to #ChooseGeography, including why studying geography is a good choice, what parts of geography you find most useful to study and why and at least two ideas of where studying geography can take you.

Key Stage 4 criteria: Submit a poster that encourages students to #ChooseGeography, including why studying geography is a good choice and what skills it provides, how studying geography can help you to understand the world in which we live and at least three ideas of where studying geography can take you.

Key Stage 5 criteria: Submit a poster that encourages students to #ChooseGeography, including why studying geography is a good choice and what skills it provides, how studying geography can help you to understand the world in which we live and highlighting the range and breadth of careers studying geography can lead to. 

The deadline for receipt of all Rex Walford Award entries is Friday 4 October at 5.00pm. Entries received after this time will not be accepted.

All entries must be emailed to competitions@rgs.org with ‘Rex Walford Award’ as the email title. Please provide all documents, plus details of your name, address, contact details and where you are teaching or training. 

We cannot accept or judge any entries submitted by post. 

Due to the high volume of entries we regret that we are unable to contact unsuccessful entrants or provide individual feedback. 

The winning entry will be hosted as a resource on our website.

Rex Walford Award and the Young Geographer of the Year competition are kindly supported by: