Are you passionate about sustainable soils management? Do you want access to internationally recognised training in soils?
In the summer of 2022, the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) is hosting the 22nd World Congress of Soil Science (WCSS). In the run up to the event a Soil Judging Competition will be held in Stirling from 26 to 31 July. On the surface this is a friendly competition between international teams of students in soil science; however, it is also a training camp aimed at infusing those at the beginnings of their careers with the knowledge and skills they need to analyse, and understand, soils. The event comprises three days classroom and field training, delivered by renowned experts in various fields, then two days of competition where soil types and composition descriptions will be judged in the field by a panel of experts. The full, exciting, programme can be seen here. We believe that access to this excellent training opportunity should not be limited to students of the sciences, after all great soil management begins with understanding what you have so you can plan successful management strategies. For the first time in this series, the competition will be open to early-career practitioners to compete and interested parties will be able to attend the training days.
Encouraging early-career soil practitioners is new for the Soil Judging Competition, so to mark this historic event, alongside helping celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of BSSS, the Brian Chambers Soils Fund (BCSF) will be covering the registration for a team of early-career practitioners to attend. This offer covers the accommodation, subsistence, and transport for a team of four to compete in Stirling. This is an amazing opportunity to access internationally recognised training at minimal cost! We are looking for enthusiastic, driven, and forward-thinking applicants for the BCSF team to compete alongside the best international soil science has to offer. We think farmers and land workers have so much to bring to the table, can you demonstrate this potential? Do you want to be a part of the conversation? We are taking applications for the team until the end of May 2022, make sure you apply now so you don’t miss out!
Eligibility Criteria
All teams, and team members, must satisfy the conditions below to compete in the soil judging competition. If you have any queries, please feel free to contact the organisers on wcss22@soils.org.uk. The BCSF team will be representing the UK alongside the BSSS scientific team, as such all applicants will be expected to fulfil the criteria below.
• Teams will be made up of four members representing a single country or organisation
• At the time of competition all members of a team must be either:
a. Resident in the represented country for a minimum of 6 months
b. Registered at an academic institution based within the represented country
c. Be a national of the represented country
• All competing team members must satisfy the following:
a. All team members must be present for the entire competition
b. All team members must be a registered student at the time of competition, or alternatively be either a registered member of a recognised national youth organisation in a related field, for example young farmers’ unions or an early-stage practitioner with no prior experience in soil judging, interpretation, or analysis.
c. Team members should not be employed in, or have been employed in in the six months prior to competition, a soil judging, interpretation, or analysis role.
d. Team members must qualify as ‘Early Career’; within the first five years of their career post-graduation.
e. All team members must be eligible for entry to the United Kingdom on the date of competition
