The Russian Geographical Society, by good tradition, announces the launch of a series of thematic blitz contests, thanks to which everyone can offer their ideas for the questions for the Geographical Dictation–2023. This year, the thematic contests "Write Your Question for the Geographical Dictation" are timed to coincide with the Year of Teacher and Mentor celebrated in our country.
A couple of contests dedicated to a specific topic largely inspired by the memorable dates that fall on this period will be held every week until the beginning of April. One blitz contest from the pair is inviting teachers to remember their inquisitive students and share the most unusual questions related to geography that their students asked. The second contest is aimed at a wide range of participants who want to remember their student days and tell about the most interesting facts related to geography, which they learned thanks to their teachers and professors. When filling out the contest form, you have to choose whether you’ll be participating in the contest as a "Student" or as a "Mentor".
We are sure that geography is so comprehensive that in every scientific discipline there will be a section or even several areas related to geography. However, no contest can last indefinitely, and for the series of thematic blitz contests "Write Your Question for the Geographical Dictation" we had to limit ourselves to only seven topics, which we connected with school courses. Facts and questions sent to each of the blitz contests should be focused on the geography of Russia in relation to the proposed topic.
The topic of the first week, when the world celebrates the World Day of Social Justice (February 20) and International Mother Language Day (February 21), is "Man and Geography". We are waiting for the most vivid and entertaining facts that impressed the students, and non-standard questions about the geography, leisure, and creativity of Russians that the mentors remembered.
The ideas sent to the contests within the framework of this topic should be devoted to the geography of the population, the functioning of recreational complexes, and the development of cultural activities in Russia. Questions and facts may relate to:
demographic processes and trends, in particular population migrations and urbanization;
recreational geography (location and activity of recreational complexes) and travel in Russia;
the influence of geographical features of our country on the development of national culture;
reflections of Russia, its natural and cultural heritage in domestic and world art;
the contribution of our country to the development of world civilization.
Questions and facts concerning medical geography – the influence of location features on the health of the population – are also welcome.
In order for your idea to be accepted for the contest and, in case of victory, form the basis of one of the tasks of the main version of the Geographical Dictation of 2023, the fact or question sent must meet a number of criteria.
Types: Closed-type questions with multiple answers are accepted for the contests, and there can be only one correct answer in each question. Therefore, for a fact from the world of geography, only one indisputable interpretation should be possible. The requirements for questions and facts and examples of their presentation are listed in Appendix No. 1 in the Regulations of the Contest.
Originality: The contests accept questions and facts that do not repeat the content of the tasks of the Geographical Dictation of previous years. You can view all the variants of the previous seasons of the event – and at the same time test yourself– here.
Number: There is a strict restriction here – one person can offer only three ideas.
All questions and facts submitted to the contest will be sent for examination. It will be conducted by professional geographers and scientists representing the related sciences (historians, biologists, art historians, etc.). The experts will determine the best ideas based on which the tasks of the main variant of the Dictation will be created.
Within each topic in the series of short thematic contests, the competition commission will determine two winners: one in the "Mentor" category and one in the "Student" category. The winners of the series of short thematic contests will receive certificates and the main prize – a gift certificate that allows you to pay for a tourist trip "with an open date" along one of the routes recommended by the Russian Geographical Society. By the decision of the organizer, the winners of the series of short thematic contests can be invited to the central Dictation venue in Moscow.
The list of winners will appear on the website of the Russian Geographical Society no later than May 17, 2023.
According to the decision of the competition commission, a group of finalists can also be determined, from among which no more than four runners-up can be named within each topic. If there are any, the questions of the winners and finalists of the series of short thematic contests will be included in the Dictation tasks/will be used in various quizzes as part of the Dictation popularization. The runners-up will receive recognition awards.
Topics and schedule of short thematic contests
MAN AND GEOGRAPHY (February 20-26, 2023)
ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY (February 27 – March 5, 2023)
CARTOGRAPHY AND COMPUTER SCIENCE (March 6-12, 2023)
ECONOMICS AND GEOGRAPHY (March 13-19, 2023)
ETHNOGRAPHY AND ART HISTORY (March 20-26, 2023)
GEOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY (March 27 – April 2, 2023)
GEOPHYSICS AND CLIMATE (April 3-9, 2023)
Please note that you can both take part in the series of thematic blitz contests, and in the international contest "Write Your Question for the Geographical Dictation–2023" (will be held from February 13 to May 17). However, it is not allowed to send the same question to the international contest and the series of short thematic contests at the same time.