India Wins Best-Ever 9 Medals at 19th Earth Science Olympiad

India recorded its best-ever performance at the 19th International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) 2026. The team of school students brought home nine medals. That is the highest tally India has taken at this Olympiad in the history of the event.

Where and when it was held

The Olympiad was held in Turin, Italy. It ran from 20 to 27 August 2026. It was held under the aegis of the International Geoscience Organisation. Students from 39 countries took part.

The medal tally

The medals came across four categories: the Written examination, the Practical examination, the International Team Field Investigation (ITFI) and the Earth Science Project (ESP).

Who won what

• Soumik Mandal, DAV Model School, Durgapur, West Bengal: two gold and one silver. He stood third in the overall global ranking among the 39 countries.
• Aaron Maiti, DAV Model School, IIT-Kharagpur, West Bengal: one gold and one bronze.
• Riddhi Ranjan, Gyan Asthali International School, Patna, Bihar: one gold and one silver.
• Md Ehtesham Rizwi, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Bihar: one silver and one bronze.

The felicitation

The winners were felicitated by Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister (Independent Charge) for Earth Sciences. The meeting was held at Prithvi Bhawan on Lodhi Road in New Delhi. Dr T. Srinivasa Kumar, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, also praised the students and their mentors.

How the team was picked

The selection pipeline is worth remembering. The Olympiad journey begins with an all-India test facilitated by the Geological Society of India. Roughly 17,800 students appeared for it across 500 centres in the country. The top 25 students then went through an intensive three-week training camp. That camp was held in June 2026 at M.S. University in Vadodara, Gujarat. The Minister had asked that camp locations be rotated across different regions of the country. The Ministry supports the Olympiad under its Outreach and Awareness programme, alongside missions such as the Deep Ocean Mission, Mission Mausam and PRITHVI.