Applications are now being accepted for a spot in this year’s AAPG-AAPG Foundation Imperial Barrel Award (IBA) competition – the world’s premiere geoscience contest for graduate students around the world.
The deadline for entry is Dec. 13.
The IBA program is a global basin evaluation competition using real-world datasets. Teams from around the world compete in an eight-week process that includes Region and Section semi-final contests, and then culminates in a finals competition at the AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, set April 6-9 in Houston.
The competition is designed to test the teams’ collective knowledge in geology, geophysics and other geoscience disciplines as they determine the hydrocarbon potential found in the dataset.
“We are pleased to announce the opening of this prestigious competition and look forward to another year of identifying and awarding best-in-class student teams,” said AAPG member David Cook, IBA program co-chair. “Participating in, hosting and sponsoring the IBA competition is an honor and challenge for students, and helps universities and exploration and production companies foster the advancement of petroleum geosciences while building the geoscience human resources required for the future.”
“The IBA continues to attract the world’s highest achieving petroleum geoscience graduate students who have a unique opportunity to demonstrate both creative thinking and complex problem solving on a big stage,” added IBA co-chair and AAPG member Chuck Caughey. “We continue to be impressed with the finalists every year.”
The winning team receives the Imperial Barrel Award, individual medals plus $20,000 for the school’s geoscience department.
Second place winners receive the Selley Cup, individual medals and $10,000 for their school, and third place winners receive the Stoneley Medal, individual medals and $5,000 for their school.
The remaining teams earn $1,000 in scholarship funds for their schools plus individual medals for themselves as IBA finals participants.
Last year a total of 107 teams from 30 countries, involving at least 535 students, competed in the program.
Since its adoption by AAPG and the AAPG Foundation, the IBA has awarded more than $300,000 in scholarship funds.