2025 competition

For this year’s Rex Walford Award, we are asking trainee or early career geography teachers to create a short scheme of work which encourages their students to create their own poster (or Esri StoryMap for KS5) on the theme ‘Understanding Islands’ and enter it into our Young Geographer of the Year competition 2025.

We are interested to see lesson plans and accompanying resources that link directly to the curriculum and encourage students to think about:

• Islands that demonstrate the geographical processes, topics and themes that they learn about through geography.
• The similarities and differences between islands, what connects them and what makes them unique.
• How the unique geography of islands can differ depending on socio-economic, political, environmental and physical aspects.
• The challenges that islands face, and the solutions presented to them at local, national and international scales.

Entering the competition 

The Rex Walford Award is for trainees or teachers who are in an early career stage (ideally first five years), including students enrolled on a PGCE, SCITT or School Direct programmes, alongside Teach First geographers, NQTs and colleagues at any other early career stage. 

Entrants are asked to produce a scheme of work, including at least three lessons, that explores the theme of ‘Understanding Islands’. We would also be interested to see (where possible) examples of pupils’ work that has resulted from the lessons, and hope that entrants encourage their students to create and submit entries for our Young Geographer of the Year competition 2025 which focuses on the same theme.

The scheme of work created can be aimed at any Key Stage eligible to enter the Young Geographer of the Year competition, and must include:

• A short scheme of work
• At least 3 lesson plans
• Resources to accompany those lessons
• Examples of pupil work if possible

The deadline for receipt of all Rex Walford Award entries is Friday 3 October 2025 at 5.00pm. Entries received after this time will not be accepted.

All entries must be emailed to competitions@rgs.org with ‘Rex Walford Award’ as the email title. Please provide all documents, plus details of your name, address, contact details and where you are teaching or training.

The winning entry will be hosted as a resource on our website.

Please read the guidelines document for further information.