Mayfield student’s winning ‘brownprint’
Annabel, a Sixth Former at Mayfield — an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 11 – 18 – has won the Royal Geographical Society’s Young Geographer of the Year competition for her age group. This prestigious international award encourages young people to think creatively and analytically about geographical themes.
The annual competition, held by the Royal Geographical Society in partnership with Geographical magazine, has been running for over 20 years and this year around 35,000 young people took part.
The theme for 2023 was ‘A blueprint for the future’, with entrants being invited to share innovative ideas to address problems in areas such as food production and supply, energy and sustainability, resources, population growth, travel, biodiversity and more.
Annabel’s entry proposed a ‘brownprint’ rather than a blueprint – a plan that involved preserving and regenerating peatlands as a way of solving some of our global challenges. The competition judges said: “Linking to agriculture, carbon storage, hazard reduction and water quality, Annabel demonstrated a deep knowledge of the complex way in which these geographical issues are interlinked – great work Annabel!”
The 2023 winning pupils were awarded their certificates by television and radio presenter, Tom Heap, at a ceremony held at the Society in December.
Professor Joe Smith, Director of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) said, “As a global community we are facing many complex geographical problems now which will become increasingly critical in the future. The ‘blueprints’ submitted give me hope that the next generation of geographers is well equipped with the skills and understanding to drive forward the changes needed to ensure a sustainable future.”
Annabel said, “I’m thrilled to be honoured with this award! The regeneration of peatlands is something I’m truly passionate about, so having my efforts acknowledged means a lot. I am enjoying diving deeper into Geography at A level and want to pursue it further at university. I’m looking forward to the exciting journey ahead!”
Mayfield offers over 25 different subject choices at A level and last year celebrated another impressive set of A level results, with a 100% pass rate and over half the grades awarded being A* or A.
