Remapping our lives
For the 2021 Young Geographer of the Year competition we were asking young people to create an annotated map revealing how their lives have been shaped by the Covid pandemic.
We were interested to see maps illustrating and describing:
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Which local human and physical features they and their family used during the pandemic
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Why some places were especially important to young people
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The places they couldn’t visit and why
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If the pandemic has led to them experiencing any new places in their local area
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How the pandemic changed their geographical understanding of their local area
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Any links which ‘stretch’ their maps to other places which were also important to them during the pandemic
The competition had four categories: KS2 (pupils aged 7-11), KS3 (pupils aged 11-14), GCSE (pupils aged 14-16) and A Level (pupils aged 16-18). The Society encouraged schools to run their own semi-finals before entering their top-placed entries into the national competition.
The competition winner and highly commended entries will be published in a future Routes issue. Routes is the UK's first open-access, peer-reviewed e-journal written for and by sixth form and undergraduate geographers. Peer-reviewers are expert geography teachers and academics. Publishing in Routes is a mark of geographical distinction. It gives students a space to share their ideas, stand out, and develop as the next generation of geographers.
Key Stage 2 (students aged 7-11)
Winner:
Aarav Gupta - King's College Junior School, London
Highly Commended:
Amy Wang - The Study Prep, London
Grace Seward - Stafford Grammar School, Stafford
Millie Nabarro - Thomas's Clapham, London
Key Stage 3 (students aged 11-14)
Winner:
Faatimah Ali - Lancaster Girls' Grammar School, Lancaster
Highly commended:
Kiera Price - Samuel Ryder Academy, St Albans
Michaela Yates - Ormiston Shelfield Community Academy, Pelsall
Alexandra Draper - St John's College, Cardiff
Key Stage 4 (students aged 14-16)
Winner:
Kate James - Lady Eleanor Holles School, Hampton
Highly Commended:
Sophia Nelson - Weydon School, Farnham
Jessica Claridge-Law - Cowes Enterprise College, Cowes
Claudia Caisley - Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls, Elstree
Key Stage 5 (students aged 16-18)
Winner:
Katie O’Shea - Bilborough College, Nottingham
View storymap
Highly Commended:
Fiona Bostock - Cowbridge Comprehensive School, Cowbridge
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Hollie Corfield - Durham Sixth Form Centre (43424), Durham
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Issy Reid - The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School, Upminster
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Rex Walford Award
Paul Greenhalgh - Berkhamsted Boys’ School, Berkhamsted
The Young Geographer of the Year competition and Rex Walford Award are kindly supported by: