2025 Best Student Geologic Map Competition Winners
The U.S. Geological Survey National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Best Student Geologic Map Competition, which took place at the annual Geological Society of America (GSA) Connects meeting in San Antonio, TX this past October.
Each year, the NCGMP partners with the Association of American State Geologists, American Institute of Professional Geologists, American Geosciences Institute, Journal of Maps, GSA, and GSA Foundation to host the Best Student Geologic Map Competition during the annual GSA Connects Meeting.
This competition highlights the mapping research accomplishments of students worldwide and the important role that students play in the future of geologic mapping.
In 2025, the Best Student Geologic Map Competition showcased 16 graduate and undergraduate student mappers who presented posters with an impressive range of geologic maps from the U.S. Pacific Northwest to the Iberian Peninsula.
This year's First Place winner is Terri Zach from the University of Kentucky for their poster titled: Geology of the Survey Peak 7.5' Quadrangle, Wyoming: Using Detailed Mapping to Reconstruct the Paleo-Topography of the Northern Teton Range and Implications for the Paleo-Teton Collapse Hypothesis.
Second Place went to Terry Lee from the University of Nevada, Reno for their poster: 1:24,000-Scale Geologic Map of the Western Half of the Franklin Lake NW 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Ruby Mountains-East Humboldt Range Metamorphic Core Complex, Northeast Nevada.
Finally, Third Place went to David Canova from the University of Barcelona for their poster: Salt structures in the Eastern External Betics fold and thrust belt, SE Iberia—Geologic maps, cross sections, and palinspastic reconstructions.
Congratulations to the winners and many thanks to all of the participants, judges, and sponsors in this year’s competition! Next year's Best Student Geologic Map Competition will take place at GSA Connects 2026 in Denver, CO, and NCGMP is looking forward to another round of outstanding map submissions. Stay tuned to the GSA and EDMAP websites for future map competition updates!