Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday felicitated the winners of the 19th International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) 2026 and said the government remains committed to empowering the youth through student-centric outreach programmes.
Held from August 20 to 27 in Italy, the competition witnessed the participation of 39 countries. India secured a historic haul of nine medals — comprising four gold, three silver, and two bronze medals — across different categories.
During the meeting, Singh highlighted that the government remains deeply committed to empowering the youth through student-centric outreach programmes and fostering foundational scientific temperament, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
The felicitation ceremony was of Team India school children, the winners of the 19th International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) 2026 was held at a special appreciation and motivation meeting held at Prithvi Bhawan, Lodhi Road, New Delhi.
Dr Jitendra Singh hailed the extraordinary milestone and expressed immense pride in the young achievers, congratulating the winners, their proud parents, and their respective schools for bringing global laurels to the nation.
He highlighted the Ministry’s vision and said the government remains deeply committed to empowering youth through student-centric outreach programs, fostering foundational scientific temperament, and encouraging young minds to explore Earth System Science. Indian student delegates delivered their best-ever performance at the 19th IESO, held under the aegis of the International Geoscience Organisation in Turin, Italy, from August 20 to 27, 2026.
Competing against participants from 39 countries, Team India secured a historic haul of nine medals—comprising 4 Gold, 3 Silver, and 2 Bronze medals—across Written and Practical examinations, International Team Field Investigation (ITFI), and Earth Science Project (ESP) categories.
The stellar medalists who made the country proud include Soumik Mandal (DAV Model School, Durgapur, West Bengal) with two Gold, one Silver (Stood 3rd in the overall global ranking among 39 countries), Aaron Maiti (DAV Model School, IIT-KGP, West Bengal) with one Gold and Bronze each, Riddhi Ranjan (Gyan Asthali International School, Patna, Bihar) who won one Gold and one Silver, Md Ehtesham Rizwi Bihar (JNV) who won one Silver and one Bronze.
Secretary Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) Dr. T. Srinivasa Kumar also joined in commending the contingent and praised the students and mentors for recording India’s highest-ever medal tally in the competition’s history.
Rigorous National Selection & Training Pipeline preceded the participation in the prestigious Olympiad. The journey to international victory reflects structured national backing.
Fully supported by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) under its Outreach and Awareness program, the Earth Science Olympiad begins with an all-India test—facilitated by the Geological Society of India (GSI)—which saw approximately 17,800 students appear across 500 centers nationwide.
The top 25 meritorious students underwent an intensive three-week training camp in June 2026 at M.S. University, Vadodara, Gujarat, conducted as desired by the Union Minister to rotate camp locations across different regions of the country.
Through flagship initiatives like the IESO, alongside major national missions such as the Deep Ocean Mission, Mission Mausam, and PRITHVI, the Ministry of Earth Sciences continues to build robust public scientific awareness and inspire the next generation of geoscientists and researchers.
