On 27 February, Catalonia hosted the 17th Catalan Geology Olympiad, an educational initiative aimed at promoting the study of geosciences among secondary school students. The event is organised by the Spanish Association for the Teaching of Earth Sciences (AEPECT) and the Spanish Geological Society (SGE).

The Olympiad is primarily addressed to upper-secondary students who have taken geology-related subjects, with the participation of some fourth-year compulsory secondary education students authorised by their schools. Mixed teams of four students take part in the competition, which combines theoretical and practical challenges.

This year’s edition was held simultaneously across six university campuses: the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), the University of Barcelona (UB) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) in Barcelona; the University of Lleida (UdL); the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) in Tarragona; and the University of Girona (The programme followed the traditional structure of a welcome session, an individual theoretical test, a group practical test and the awards ceremony.

At the proposal of the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP), partner of the LOESS european project, two of the host universities incorporated soil-related educational activities during the correction period of the tests:

– At the Higher Polytechnic School of the UdL, 67 students from 17 schools attended a lecture by Rosa Poch, Professor of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry at the UdL, titled “Paleosols: a gateway to past landscapes through the microscope”.

– Meanwhile, at the Faculty of Science of the UAB, 87 students from 8 schools took part in a hands-on soil characterisation activity. Working in groups, they collected samples from different areas of the campus and analysed them through colour, organic matter, texture and magnification tests. Based on the results, they identified the location of a symbolic “treasure”. The activity was led by Víctor López, Professor of Mathematics and Science Education at the UAB, with the collaboration of Professors Oriol Guinart and Ona Salgado.

This year’s edition gathered a total of 543 students from 62 schools across Catalonia, reflecting the growing interest in geosciences and the strong commitment of teachers and universities to fostering scientific vocations.

On 21 March, the winners from each Catalan venue will take part in the Spanish National Geology Olympiad, which this year will be held in Vigo, Galicia. The national winners will go on to form the Spanish team that will compete in the International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO 2026), scheduled for August 2026 in Turin, Italy