Sir Ron Cooke, an eminent physical geographer and former President of the Society, kindly supports an award for A Level students.
The award recognises students’ work towards the independent investigation, also known as the NEA. The first Ron Cooke Award was presented to a student who completed an NEA for the 2018 examinations, at our medals and awards ceremony in 2019.
Ron Cooke Award 2027
Student’s outstanding NEAs must be submitted by their teacher and we aim to celebrate students’ work which has engaged them with new ideas, provided opportunities for innovation and/or demonstrates their personal interest in geography.
Entries must be a fully marked NEA; please submit a copy of the NEA (this does not need to show annotations) plus the supporting form.
We are delighted that the examination boards are supportive of this award and will also be encouraging their centres to submit outstanding scripts for consideration.
Entries for the 2027 Ron Cooke Award are now open and the deadline for entries is Friday 12 March 2027 at 5.00pm. Late entries will not be accepted.
Teachers can submit their students’ work by emailing an electronic copy of their scripts and your student's proposal/planning form to competitions@rgs.org. More than one submission can be made by a school.
Please write Ron Cooke Award in the email subject box and include the following details:
- Teacher and school contact details
- Student name and final mark for the NEA
- A short supporting statement from the teacher explaining why the script(s) have been submitted.
The winner of the Ron Cooke Award will be notified before 31 May 2027.
Past winners
Ron Cooke Award 2026
The winner of the Ron Cooke Award for 2026 was August Deeming from Winchester College for the best A Level independent investigation (NEA) titled: “To what extent can a clast fabric analysis of exposed till in Herefordshire describe the flow of ice and water during the Anglian glaciation?”
Ron Cooke Award 2025
The winner of the Ron Cooke Award for 2025 was Claudia Acker for the best A Level independent investigation (NEA) titled: ‘To what extent does the carbon content of trees differ between urban woodlands in Highgate Wood, London, and rural woodlands in Parnholt Wood, Hampshire?’.
Ron Cooke Award 2024
The winner of the Ron Cooke Award for 2024 was Ella Herbert from Langley Park School for Boys for the best A Level independent investigation (NEA) titled: ‘To what extent are the key players impacting the development of Cambers sand dunes’.
Ron Cooke Award 2023
The winner of the 2023 Ron Cooke Award was Elysia Sanders from Lady Eleanor Holles School for the best A Level independent investigation (NEA) titled: ‘How have glacial and physical post-glacial processes caused variation in the landscape of the Troutbeck Valley’.
Ron Cooke Award 2022
The winner of the 2022 Ron Cooke Award was Joelle D’Mello from Trinity School for for the best A Level independent investigation (NEA) titled: “Through economic status, the environment, accessibility, and regeneration, how does quality of living vary between a rural and urban area?”
Ron Cooke Award 2021
The winner of the 2021 Ron Cooke Award was Hollie Daw from Queen Mary's College for the best A Level independent investigation (NEA) titled: "An examination of the factors affecting infiltration rate at Ashford Hill National Nature Reserve."
Find out more about our medals and awards.