NEWS STORY: Schools Competition
Why does Antarctica matter? Young Geographer of the Year Award 2015
The Royal Geographical Society is running a schools competition to mark the centenary of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance expedition, which aimed to complete the first crossing of Antarctica. The competition is an opportunity for students to explore why Antarctica still matters today.
The deadline for all entries is 5pm on Friday 16th October 2015.
Students are encouraged to think about why Antarctic matters today. This may be for a number of reasons, including:
- Antarctica’s world-leading science
- The continent’s unique biodiversity and landscapes
- As a location which still inspires people with awe and wonder of the natural world
- Antarctica’s unique status as the only continent in the world without countries
- Antarctica’s governance by the Antarctic Treaty which promotes science, peaceful purposes, sets aside territorial claims and prevents military activity
Discovering Antarctica, developed in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey, the Royal Geographical Society and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, features a wealth of information about the distant, frozen wilderness of Antarctica and has a wealth of information to help competition entrants.
The competition has four categories: Key Stage 2 (students aged 9-11), Key Stage 3 (students aged 11-14), Key Stage 4 or GCSE (students aged 14-16) and Key Stage 5 or A Level (students aged 16-18). The Society encourages schools to run their own local semi-finals before entering their top-placed entries into the national competition.
Full details are here
The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) is the UK’s learned society and professional body for geography, founded in 1830. RGS is a world leader in advancing geography and supporting its practitioners in the UK and across the world.