This page includes results for 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, in that order.

Total entries by state including awardees and non-awardees. On the map below, you can click a state and see its HS/MS numbers.

2023 Entries
States w Entries
Schools w Entries
Total Entries
Total Awardees

HS (9-12)

3061440110

MS (4-8)

213516059
TOTAL34/40

94 (incl. 2 HS+MS)

600169

By all accounts, 2021-22 was a tough year for teachers, students, schools, and parents. Still, an impressive number of educators inspired students to explore, and go far enough down the track to complete and submit a significant project, primarily or even exclusively on their own.

In the dashboard below, you can see the hard work by hundreds of students, with help from a likely equal army of teachers, parents, and geomentors. Despite the challenges of the year, this is a celebration of education and recognition of the power of thinking geographically to understand complex situations.

View the June 16 interview with HS and MS winners.

2022 ArcGIS Online HS+MS Competition States with Entries Schools with Entries Total Entries

High School  

(grades 9-12)

 31 53 323
Middle School (grades 4-8) 20 35 222
GRAND TOTAL 35 86 545

Check out the 2022 National Winners' 3-minute videos above!
The 2021 results map below is interactive. You can pan and zoom, and click on states and dots. Scroll through the legend and close or reopen as needed. In the popups for points, State Winners have graphics, and all awardees have both the project overview ("Item Details") and project ("StoryMap") as clickable links. Check the bottom right corner of popups to jump through all the popups near your click.
COVID was a challenge to schools throughout the 2020-21 school year, with much instruction happening virtually, and changes occurring again as students tried to complete entries in spring. Still, the 2021 event had 42 states participating, and 34 receiving entries.

2021 Entries
States with Entries
Schools with Entries
Total Entries
High School (gr. 9-12)
29
70
501 *
Middle School (gr. 4-8)
24
36
144
TOTAL
34
102
(4 schools had both HS+MS)
645 *
* 241 HS entries came from the 9th grade at Sauk Rapids-Rice HS in MN
With no chance again for a presentation in San Diego at the Esri Conference, the winners participated in a webinar about the 2021 Competition on Thursday June 17. The webinar was open to the public, and was recorded, and is available to view. See recording, or visit https://esriurl.com/t3g >> "Webinars". (Very brief video excerpts from the webinar are linked below for the two winners.)


Here are the two national winners and two national honorable mentions:
High School Winner: Skye Lam
Bronx High School of Science (NY)
"Mapping the Green Book in New York City"
https://arcg.is/1vHG1b
* Quick webinar excerpt *
Middle School Winner: Kei Handzic-Smith
Wydown Middle School (MO)
"Poverty and Food in St. Louis"
https://arcg.is/1afu1G0
* Quick webinar excerpt *
HS Honorable Mention: Cassandra Vongrej, Brigid McMahon
Marine Academy of Technology & Envir.Science (NJ)
"Analysis of Seagrass in Barnegat Bay"
https://arcg.is/1vTuGf0
MS Honorable Mention: Titouan Chaligne, Luc Hoffman
Lycee Francais de New York (NY)
"Organic Food Consumption in NY State"
https://arcg.is/0iybLu


AGO COMP US HSMS Students 2021

Map Placeholder
The 2020 results map below is interactive. You can pan and zoom, and click on states and dots. Scroll through the legend and close or reopen as needed. In the popups for points, State Winners have graphics, and all awardees have both the project overview ("Item Details") and project ("StoryMap") as clickable links. Check the bottom right corner of popups to jump through all the popups near your click.
Starting in early March of 2020, COVID-19 caused radical shifts in calendar, school, and even outdoor work, in the final weeks before students submitted their projects. Because of this, Esri did not award national winners or honorable mentions in 2020, focusing instead on those who completed projects despite challenges. Over 500 entries were submitted, and 130 received the $100 award.

2020 Entries
States with Entries
Schools with Entries
Total Entries
High School (gr. 9-12)
23
40
371 *
Middle School (gr. 4-8)
19
37
156
TOTAL
29
77
527 *
* 227 HS entries came from the 9th grade at Sauk Rapids-Rce HS in MN

AGO COMP US HSMS Students 2020

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All 130 awardees plus participating schools and states are visible in the map. Each deserves kudos for work in a time of turmoil.
 
The Competition had a few basic requirements. Judges then looked for some essential attributes, and highlighted some state winners for doing especially well on certain elements.
 
 
I. Requirements
1. Project comes from a student or "showcase" account in an ArcGIS Online Organization.
2. Project opens cleanly (each portion or page, with no login needed).
3. Project meets constraints (limits images and video, sources each clearly and appropriately, avoids sharing other people's faces and personally identifiable information).

II. Project
4. Presents a clear mission to be achieved, ideally a question to be answered
* MA_HS: https://arcg.is/11quP00
5. Is visibly an issue of interest or question of importance to the student
* MN_MS: https://arcg.is/2TjSK4H
* AR_MS: https://arcg.is/bqvS
 
III. Documentation
6. Project title clarifies the mission
* TN_HS: https://arcg.is/1GzrvD
7. Item details include a good representative thumbnail image
* VA_MS: https://arcg.is/35Uhvtn
8. Item details include an effective summary of up to 250 characters
* IA_MS: https://arcg.is/09XGrf
9. Item details present complete details of the project process and resources
* MN_HS: https://arcg.is/3fcOJbF
* CA_MS: https://arcg.is/3eCapO1
 
IV. Mapping
10. The focus region is within the state and immediately clear, even to non-residents
* OK_HS: https://arcg.is/2ybZH02
* WV_MS: https://arcg.is/32jn0zW
11. Project includes appropriate "professional" geographic data
* MO_HS: https://arcg.is/2SKvA7k
12. Project includes student-generated geographic data
* ME_HS: https://arcg.is/2WOGQSm
* NH_MS: https://arcg.is/3cs4YiU
13. Project engages useful geographic analysis (best if multiple processes)
* MA_HS: https://arcg.is/11quP00
* LA_MS: https://arcg.is/mi9va
14. Maps display good classification and symbolization of features with clear legends
* RI_HS: https://arcg.is/0SKKeC
* NJ_HS: https://arcg.is/fuS5j
15. Map features include attractive and intelligible popups
* GA_MS: https://arcg.is/1fiHDW
 
V. The Story
16. The end product shows a clear organization ("flows like a river")
* WY_HS: https://arcg.is/1Ha18b
* MO_MS: https://arcg.is/1Hq5qq
17. The creation supports engagement/ interactivity, invites the viewer not merely to read and see but to explore
* RI_HS: https://arcg.is/0SKKeC
18. The ending brings a strong conclusion to the story, a completion of mission
* HI_HS: https://arcg.is/19WXTi
19. The project presents references and/or points to Item Details page
* NC_HS: https://arcg.is/0u108O
 
And so we salute ALL the 2020 State Winners and Awardees, and the other participants, who accomplished something useful and significant, during a time of great turmoil. We hope the seniors will carry their skills and understanding with them toward college, career, and civic life, and the younger students will expand their skills by participating in the 2021 Competition!
The 2019 results map below is interactive. You can pan and zoom, and click on states and dots. Scroll through the legend and close or reopen as needed. In the popups for points, State Winners have graphics, and all awardees have both the project overview ("Item Details") and project ("StoryMap") as clickable links. Check the bottom right corner of popups to jump through all the popups near your click.
In 2019, 36 states participated, with 28 states receiving a total of 506 entries, with California and Minnesota each contributing about 25%.

2019 Competition States results

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Above: 2019 High School winner Donovan Vitale and teacher Russell Columbus, and 2019 Middle School winner Abby Ziehl and teacher Laurie Bohn, pause during the Map Gallery of the 2019 User Conference.


See and hear interviews of the 2019 winners and their teachers, recorded at the 2019 Esri Conference (8 mins)

Below: Student winners, with teachers at hand, talk with Esri president Jack Dangermond at the 2019 User Conference
The 2018 results map below is interactive. You can pan and zoom, and click on states and dots. Scroll through the legend and close or reopen as needed. In the popups for points, State Winners have graphics, and all awardees have both the project overview ("Item Details") and project ("StoryMap") as clickable links. Check the bottom right corner of popups to jump through all the popups near your click.
In 2018, 28 states participated, with 22 states receiving 306 total entries from 88 schools. Both the high school and middle school winners generated very interesting content in their entries.

2018 Competition Results

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8th grader Andrew Wilson, from New Hampshire, at left, and 11th grader Keeli Gustafson, from Minnesota, at right, set a high standard by generating data that was vital in their winning entries in 2018. They also presented to GeoMentors at the User Conference, and impressed the room with their creations.
The 2017 results map below is interactive. You can pan and zoom, and click on states and dots. Scroll through the legend and close or reopen as needed. In the popups for points, State Winners have graphics, and all awardees have both the project overview ("Item Details") and project ("StoryMap") as clickable links. Check the bottom right corner of popups to jump through all the popups near your click.
In the 25th anniversary year of Esri launching its program for schools (1992), this first nationwide competition had 29 states participating, with 24 states providing 136 awards to students from 85 schools, with 119 entries in high school and 131 in middle school.

2017 Competition Results

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The first US High School ArcGIS Online Competition winner is 10th grader Alyssa Isaacson from Minnesota, at left. The first US Middle School ArcGIS Online Competition winner is 8th grader Chloe Crane from Arkansas, at right.

Copyright 2021. Esri GIS Education.