A true geography expert: Damian Schillinger from Baden-Württemberg answered the questions about the school subject quickly and precisely and was crowned geography champion. The 15-year-old pupil from Offenburg came out on top in the national final of the "Diercke Wissen" competition in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony. Artur Richter from Dresden in Saxony came second. Third place went to Luiz Loewenstein from Hamburg.
The 16 state winners and a representative for the German schools abroad qualified for the final. They had to answer questions on sustainability goals, population pyramids, transportation of goods and earthquake strengths. The winner, Damian Schillinger, qualified for further competitions and has the chance to represent Germany at the international Geography Olympiad iGeo 2026 in Istanbul.
Around 300,000 young people took part
According to the organizers, around 300,000 pupils in Germany took part in the competition. Around 3,500 young people from German schools on five continents competed for a ticket to Braunschweig. Leon Praveen Lang from the German International School Zagreb is likely to represent Germany.
According to the organizers, the largest school competition in Germany is hosted by the Association of German School Geographers and Westermann Verlag, based in Braunschweig. The 25th edition was held this year. The aim is to awaken enthusiasm for geography among schoolchildren.
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