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The Young Geographer of the Year 2025 competition is now closed for entries. Late entries will not be accepted.

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The theme for the Young Geographer of the Year competition 2025 was:

Understanding islands

Let’s take a closer look at the World’s islands.

It is estimated that our planet contains almost 670,000 islands, of which around 11,000 are permanently inhabited. Islands have a unique geography; their landscapes and coastlines vary massively – some are home to volcanoes; others are barely above sea level. Some are barren, deserts or rocky outcrops, others lush vegetation havens for a range of unique wildlife and plant species. There are islands seen by many as popular holiday destinations, and there are others that are inaccessible or many miles from civilisation. Every island is unique, and every island has its challenges.

The geography of islands is an interesting one. Some are threatened by climate change and issues such as sea level rise, and through this are embroiled in the geopolitics of the climate emergency and the mitigation strategies implemented through both international policies and local-level action. The people who live on islands face a range of socio-economic, cultural or historical challenges, from over-use of their towns and cities by tourists, to access to resources, clean water or adequate living conditions. The ‘ownership’ of some islands is contested; some are protected, others are fought over because of their geopolitical or strategic significance. In some places, islands are being created to meet the need for more space to satisfy our growing population. By exploring and understanding islands, including the island we live on, we can unlock a multitude of geographical themes and connections across people, places and environments.

The Society invited you to create a poster ( or poster for KS5 entrants) to explore islands and highlight the geographical themes, challenges and solutions that connect across both human and physical geography to make islands unique. We were looking for eye catching, creative and informative posters and StoryMaps that delved into the socio-economic, cultural, political and physical aspects of a range of islands, showcasing their features and exploring how islands can be connected through the challenges that they face and the solutions they use to address those challenges. Your posters and StoryMaps should have thought about geographical themes across people, places and environments.

Competition details

The competition has four categories.

• Key Stage 2 (pupils aged 7-11)
• Key Stage 3 (pupils aged 11-14)
• Key Stage 4 or GCSE (pupils aged 14-16)
• Key Stage 5 or A Level (pupils aged 16-18)

Please view the competition guidelines for full details about entry criteria.

There were two submission pathways. We will be selecting one winner and one highly commended entry for each age category from entries from state funded schools, and one winner and one highly commended entry for each age category from entries from independent and international schools.Ìý

Due to the volume of entries the Society cannot enter into correspondence about individual entries or provide feedback. We will contact you/your student if you/they are selected as a winner. All winners and highly commended students will be contacted by early November and will be invited to an Awards Ceremony at the Society in London on Friday 5 December 2025.

The names of winners and highly commended students will be announced to the public on Friday 5 December 2025.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about the competition, please refer to the competitions guidelines document (available in the downloads box) in the first instance. If this document does not answer your question, please email us at competitions@rgs.orgÌý