The Canadian Geographic Challenge

1. Challenge scope: The Canadian Geographic Challenge (“Can Geo Challenge” or "Challenge") is a national bilingual competition for Canadian students in grades 4-6 for Level 1, grades 7-10 for Level 2, and students ages 16-19 who have not yet started their post-secondary studies for Level 3. The competition is open to all schools and home schools in Canada.

a. A "school" is defined as an educational institution located in Canada, which is recognized by the Province or Territory in which it is located and includes, but is not limited to, a public, private, separate, charter or home schools.

2. Challenge details: The Challenge has three levels: Level 1 is open to students in grades 4-6, Level 2 is open to students in grades 7-10, and Level 3 is open to students who are 16 to 19 years of age and have not started post-secondary studies.

a. Students who are in grades lower than those specified for Level 2 are eligible to participate at Level 2 (i.e. a student in grade 5 may participate in Level 2 if they choose) but are not eligible to participate in the Provincial/Territorial or National Final round. Students in grades higher than those specified in Level 2 may participate but are not eligible to participate in the Provincial/Territorial or National Final round.

b. There are no age limits within Levels 1 and 2 as long as students are registered in the grade levels outlined above.

c. There is an age limit of 16 to 19 years of age for Level 3 along with the requirement of not having started post-secondary studies. Level 3 is open to all students in Canada who meet the age requirements by June 30, 2024, and reside within Canada.

d. Level 1 begins with the Classroom round (“Classroom Challenge”) and progresses to the School round (“School Championship”). Level 1 ends with the naming of a School Champion. If there is only one classroom participating in a school, educators can choose to skip the Classroom round and move directly to the School round.

e. Level 2 begins with the Classroom round (“Classroom Challenge”), then progresses through to the School round (“School Championship”), then to the Provincial/Territorial round (“Provincial/Territorial Challenge”), and finally to the National round (“National Final”). Level 2 ends with the naming of a National Champion.

f. Level 3 is completed online in three tests, followed by an interview, and ends with the naming of the top four students as Team Canada, who will go on to compete in the International Geography Olympiad.

3. Organization:

a. The Can Geo Challenge is run by Canadian Geographic (Can Geo) Education. Can Geo Education is the standing educational committee of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

4. Challenge period:

a. The Can Geo Challenge Levels 1 and 2 open in October 2023.

b. Schools participating in Level 1 must register, complete the Classroom and School rounds, and enter their School Champion’s name in the appropriate field on their account before 11:59:59 p.m. EST on April 19, 2024. In the event of a tie, school coordinators are to use the tiebreaker quizzes available in their account to break the tie before April 19, 2024. School winners entered into the online system after April 19, 2024, will not be eligible to receive prizes.

c. Schools participating in Level 2 must register, complete the Can Geo Challenge Classroom and School rounds, and enter their School Champion’s name in the appropriate field on their account before 11:59:59 p.m. EST on February 23, 2024. In the event of a tie, school coordinators are to use the tiebreaker quizzes available in their account to break the tie and name their school winner before February 23, 2024. Only one winner per school may be submitted. School winners entered into the online system after February 23, 2024, will not be eligible to receive prizes. Level 2 concludes with a virtual National Final event in late May, 2024.

d. Students participating in Level 3 must register and complete the Multimedia Test before 11:59:59 p.m. EST on January 12, 2024. The top 20 finalists will be contacted to move on to the Written Test on January 19, 2024, and must complete the Written Test online by 11:59:59 p.m. EST on February 16, 2024. The top 10 finalists will be contacted to move on to the Fieldwork Test on February 23, 2024 and must complete the Fieldwork Test by 11:59:59 p.m. EST on March 29, 2024. Interviews for the top 6 finalists will take place in April 2024 and the announcement of Team Canada will follow.

5. Eligibility:

a. Compliance with Rules: All schools and participants in the Can Geo Challenge must adhere to these official rules (“Rules”). Can Geo Education reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any school or participant that does not comply with the Rules or with any subsequent instructions provided as part of the Can Geo Challenge.

b. A participant’s or school’s failure to adhere to any of the Rules, as determined by Can Geo Education in its sole discretion, will also render the school or participant ineligible to participate in any future Can Geo Challenge and ineligible for any Can Geo Challenge rewards, prizes or compensation of any kind.

c. Level 1

d. Level 2

i. All registered Canadian schools are eligible to participate in the Can Geo Challenge. There is no limit to the number of classes and students that can participate in one school.
ii. Home-schooled students are eligible to participate as long as they have registered as a home school with Can Geo Education.
iii. Each school that participates in Level 2 may enter only one School Champion into its online account to participate in the Provincial/Territorial round of the competition.

1. All School Champions in Level 2 are eligible to compete in the Provincial/Territorial round as long as all required fields are completed online no later than February 23, 2024.

2. All teacher accounts with a school winner entered by that deadline will be contacted with instructions for the Provincial/Territorial round by March 4, 2024.

iv. National Final – The 13 provincial and territorial champions, who receive 50 per cent or higher in the Provincial/Territorial round, along with the seven other highest-scoring students in that round, will be asked to participate in the virutal National Final held in late May, 2024.

1. Teachers with students who have advanced to the National Final will be notified by email by April 19, 2024.

2. If a student is unable to attend the National Final or they are unable to confirm their participation by April 26, 2024, their spot will be offered to the next eligible participant.

3. If confirmation of participation is not received by deadlines specified in email communication, participants forfeit their spot. This is a non-negotiable decision.

4. The top three finishers in the National Final will be named: National Champion, first runner-up, and second runner-up. They will receive prizes from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

5. Students who have won first place in the National Final are not eligible to return to the National Final.

e. Level 3

i. All Canadian students ages 16 to 19, who meet the age requirements by June 30, 2024, who reside in Canada and who have not started post-secondary studies are eligible.

1. Participants who compete in Level 3 are not eligible to compete at other levels of the Challenge for prizes.

2. Participants who qualify for Team Canada and are unavailable to attend the International Geography Olympiad in August 2024 must notify Can Geo Education at info@cangeoeducation before April 15, 2024. Note: Due to COVID-19, changes to the format of the International Geography Olympiad may be made and the competition may be cancelled for safety reasons.

3. Student participants in Level 3 must acknowledge that the International Geography Olympiad is English-only and, therefore, the top four students that form Team Canada are required to be proficient in completing geography skill-testing questions in English.

6. How to Enter:

a. For Levels 1 and 2, one in-school coordinator must register a school online on the Can Geo Challenge website. In-school coordinators who have previously participated in the Can Geo Challenge can use their previous account information and update their account. In-school coordinators can sign into their account to access the questions.

b. For Level 3, the test proctor (must be an unrelated person to participants) must register the participating students on the Can Geo Challenge website.

7. Questions:

a. All questions are written by Fellows of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), geography educators from across Canada, or RCGS staff. They are then fact-checked and verified by Can Geo Challenge administration. The questions in the Classroom and School rounds are written for Level 1 and 2 respectively (i.e., the rounds are tailored to each age group).

b. Questions can be completed online or in written form for all of Level 1.

c. Questions can be completed online or in written form for the Classroom round and School round of Level 2, but the Provincial/Territorial round is online only. The National Final is done in-person (written and orally) or online (orally) depending on circumstances.

d. Questions for Level 3 are completed exclusively online.

e. Teachers who complete the rounds in written form are responsible for marking their students’ tests and submitting their school winner’s information online.

f. Any concerns or inquiries about the competition should be raised before you begin the testing rounds. Email [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

g. Any concerns about the Provincial/Territorial round questions should be raised immediately after its completion.

h. For Level 3, any concerns or inquiries about the Multimedia Test should be raised immediately after its completion. Any concerns received more than one day after completion will not be reviewed. Any concerns or inquiries about the Written Test and the Fieldwork Test should be submitted by email to challenge administrators who have been in direct contact with the students wirting the tests. Any concerns received more than one day after completion will not be reviewed.

i. Judging decisions made by members of the organizing committee and The Royal Canadian Geographical Society are final.

8. Prizes:

a. All Level 1 and Level 2 winners of the School round (“School Champions”) will receive a certificate, a special issue publication and/or map from Canadian Geographic, and a free one-year magazine subscription to Canadian Geographic. In order to receive their prize, all required information fields must be entered into the in-school coordinator’s online account by April 19, 2024.

b. National Final prizes for first, second and third place are subject to change on a year-by-year basis. The Can Geo Challenge Committee reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value for any of the contest prizes.

c. For Level 3, all participants will receive a free one-year magazine subscription to Canadian Geographic. The top 20 finalists who move on to Phase 2 will receive a prize pack from Can Geo Education. The top four students will be given the opportunity to represent Canada on the world stage at the 2024 International Geography Olympiad. This will include an all-expenses-paid trip to the country chosen for that year's competition. More information will be provided to participants closer to the date. This may be subject to change due to COVID-19 restrictions and safety concerns and The Royal Canadian Geographical Society will communicate any changes or prize substitutions closer to the date.

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