The GeogEd research group is awarded for the best UK undergraduate dissertation which makes a contribution to knowledge in the areas of both geography and education. Typically, this will relate to the geographies of education or geography education.

Nominations are accepted anually by dissertation supervisors, dissertation module convenors, programme directors, directors of education or heads of department each year, with each department able to submit a single entry.

Winner receive prizes, e.g. £100 and a year’s subscription to the Journal of Geography in Higher Education. Other entries may be deemedhighly commended and receive a prize of £50.

Nominations and eligibility

The 2024-5 academic year’s dissertation prize process has now ended. Please revisit in summer 2025 for details of the next round.

Evaluation Process

The dissertation prize co-ordinator will make an initial evaluation of eligibility considering whether the dissertation (i) frames its contribution in relation to the geographies of education, or geography education; and/or (ii) draws on literature from the geographies of education, or geography education.

Eligible dissertations will then be sent to committee members for evaluation using an assessment form. The dissertation prize co-ordinator and another member of the committee will consider the assessment feedback and select an overall winner and any highly commended entries. Winning students and nominating member of staff will be contacted, and the student will be invited to complete a short written interview for inclusion on the research group’s website.

2024-25 GeogEd Dissertation Prize

We are pleased to announced that this year the committee have name two winning entries for the GeogEd dissertation prize: 

  • Winner: Emily Harrison (University of Birmingham) for: Ctrl + Alt + Teach: A Geographical Analysis of how Technology is Reformatting Learning, Time and Space in Primary School
  • Winner: Anna Williams Moura Costa (University of Cambridge) for: The West and all the Other Parts: Representations of Global South Development in Geography GCSEs

Congratulations Emily and Anna! 🎉

Eligible dissertations were sent to committee members for evaluation using an assessment form. The committee members involved in marking, then collectively made a decision on prizes having reviewed the top marked dissertations.

2023-4 winners

  • Winner: Emily West (University of Exeter) – Empowering Deaf individuals within educational architecture: An investigation into DeafSpace design of the Ruthan College. Update: Check out our interview with her here.
  • Highly Commended: Alessandro Miotto (University of Nottingham) – ‘The Reason I am Me’: Examining the Development and Progression of National Identities of Former Bangkok-Based International School Students