Rising sophomore Ryan Minton placed 11th place overall at the International Geography Competition, which took place between July 14 and July 20, 2024.
The competition is hosted by the International Academic Competitions and took place in Vienna, Austria. There were 310 total competing students from 19 independent countries, Hong Kong, 31 US states and the District of Columbia. 88 students were in the high school division.
The overall results in the high school division were calculated based on 3 events: the written exam, the battery exam and the GIS competition, in which Minton scored 21st, 12th and 21st, respectively. The written exam is an open-ended exam testing on varying aspects of geography. The battery exam (at the high school level) is a 4 part exam with 100 multiple choice questions for each part. The GIS competition involves using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to answer a set of questions. Each of these competitions were completed solo.
Additionally, Minton achieved awards in other, optional events.
First, he was a gold medalist in the Economic Geography Exam (High School Division), which consists of 75 multiple choice questions regarding the geographical component of various factors of the global economy, such as the location of ports, business and stock exchanges.
Additionally, he was a silver medalist in the Symposium (High School Division). Minton presented a research paper that explores the possibility of releasing herbicides from drones to stop the cultivation of illicit crops in Colombia and Myanmar.
Minton was also a silver medalist in the Geographeud Team Event (High School Division), a “Family Feud” style geography game. He was the captain of the Virginia Team B.
In addition, Minton was a semifinalist in the 2024 International Geography Bee World Championships (High School Division).
Finally, Minton won the Best Dressed Award at the Congress of Vienna Simulation (High School Division) for convincingly dressing as Tsar Alexander I.
Overall, Minton said he enjoyed the experience in an interview.
“It challenged me intellectually and allowed me to connect with other passionate geography students from around the world, which is something I’ve never had the opportunity to experience before,” Minton said. “I’m grateful to my many Langley teachers, parents, and the IAC staff for the opportunity to represent the United States.”