On April 29th and 30th, 2026, the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam hosted the final round of the Earth Science Olympiad. A total of 20 students in grades 9 to 12 from across Germany had qualified in the preliminary rounds and participated in the two-day competition at the GFZ. In addition to the professional exchange, the event offered students the opportunity and space to get to know each other and to interact directly with researchers at the GFZ.

The Earth Science Olympiad (Olympiade der Geowissenschaften) is a nationwide competition for students organized by the Umbrella Organization of the Geosciences (Dachverband der Geowissenschaften (DVGeo). The aim of the competition is to promote interest in the geosciences. The competition covers fields such as geology, geophysics, mineralogy, and paleontology.

The four-member winning student team that ultimately wins the final round (Note from the editor: the decision is still pending) will be able to represent Germany at the International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO). The International Science Olympiad will take place in Turin, Italy, in the summer of 2026. In addition, the ten best-placed participants in the German Earth Science Olympiad will have the opportunity to participate in a geoscience training camp at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

Two Days of Science and Exchange at GFZ

At the beginning of their stay, participants in the competition received an illustrative introduction to the different research areas of the GFZ in the GFZ student laboratory. They then independently conducted an experiment on the topic of volcanism. The participants in the Earth Science Olympiad then visited three working groups and laboratories to learn about current research topics.

• Geoenergy - How do fiber optic cables support research in the geosciences? (Christian Cunow)
• Geomorphology - What determines the height of mountains? (Dr. Jens Turowski)
• Geomicrobiology - What role does microbial carbon dynamics play in the climate system? (Dr. Jana Täumer and Dr. Tatjana Zivkovic)

Based on these insights into current research at the GFZ, the students prepared their own presentations, which they then presented to a jury the following day. On this second day of the competition, the presentations were not only assessed, but the students' knowledge of geoscientific questions was also tested in a written exam.

The concluding highlight of this year's final round of the Earth Science Olympiad was a visit to the experimental laboratory for tectonics with Dr. Matthias Rosenau, who conducts research in the Section Dynamics of the Lithosphere.