Competing for the first time in the 1995 International Geography Olympiad, the three-member Australian team captured first place by defeating teams from the United Kingdom and Canada in the final competition. The Russian and U.S. teams had been eliminated in earlier rounds.

In a seesawing eight-round competition, the Australians scored 33 points out of a possible 50; the U.K. students, 31; and the Canadians, 27. All three teams were honored in an Olympic-style awards ceremony, receiving gold, silver, and bronze medals.

National Geographic Society Chairman Gilbert M. Grosvenor congratulates the winning Australian students at the second International Geography Olympiad. Team members are (left to right) Michael Lyon, 15, of Victoria; Patrick Chan, 15, of New South Wales; and Michael Molinari, 13, of Western Australia.

Photograph by Ben Van Hook