-- Soil Judging International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) --
Soil judging taught me to apply classroom knowledge to real-world soil profiles, enhancing my understanding of environmental management.
Participating in international contests opened my eyes to global soil diversity and fostered valuable networking opportunities.
These events are crucial for advancing soil science education and promoting sustainable land use worldwide.
The hands-on experience in soil morphology has led to 100% employment rates for our graduates in soil-related fields.
Competing internationally honed my skills in soil classification and interpretation, preparing me for a career in conservation.
Tailored materials developed from IUSS Templates and
specific one like FAQ, Handbook, Program, etc.
*May be changed before the Soil Judging Contest in Nanjing
Manuals providing standardized procedures for describing soil profiles
Soil Taxonomy: NRCS Field BookA Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys
Keys to Soil Taxonomy 2022World Reference Base for Soil Resources
WRB 2022 linkInternational Soil Judging past contests materials: Handbooks, scoresheets
MaterialsExplore various training resources and techniques.
Join international soil judging events organized by IUSS. Check upcoming events and contact organizers for registration details.
IUSS membership provides access to global soil science resources, events, and networking. Visit iuss.org for membership info.
5th International Soil Judging Contest
June 2-6, 2026. Nanjing and Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China, as part of the 23rd World Congress of Soil Science.
4th International Soil Judging Contest
Near Stirling, Scotland, as part of the 22nd World Congress of Soil Science.
3rd International Soil Judging Contest
Seropédica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as part of the 21st World Congress of Soil Science.
2nd International Soil Judging Contest
Gödöllő, Hungary, as part of the International Year of Soils.
1st International Soil Judging Contest
Jeju Island, South Korea, as part of the 20th World Congress of Soil Science.
A short history of collegiate soil judging in the United States and its expansion to the international stage.
Land Judging emerges — a separate program, not soil judging
Land judging contests grew out of Future Farmers of America (FFA) and conservation district programs for high school students (grades 9–12). Although it predates collegiate soil judging and shares some field skills, land judging is organized by entirely different bodies — not by SSSA or ASA — and uses a simpler land-capability scorecard rather than full soil profile description. It is best understood as a parallel tradition, not an earlier stage of soil judging.
National Land & Range Judging Contest →First regional collegiate soil judging contests in the U.S.
Universities began running local and regional contests in which students described soil profiles in open pits — identifying horizons, classifying the soil, and interpreting it for land use. Accounts of exactly when and where the earliest contests were held vary; regional activity was well established in the Southeast and Midwest during the 1950s, and these contests became the foundation for a national event.
Archival report on soil judging history →First National Collegiate Soils Contest — Lexington, Kentucky
The regional contests converged into a national championship, sponsored by the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) and the American Society of Agronomy (ASA), with USDA-NRCS soil scientists preparing and judging the official pit descriptions. The contest has been held every year since, hosted by a different university each spring; the 2021 edition was run virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
National Collegiate Soils Contest →First published analysis of the collegiate soils contest
Post, Miller and Allen surveyed 198 student contestants and 73 instructors and coaches in the autumn of 1973 and published the results in the Journal of Agronomic Education. The paper set out the educational objectives of the contest and offered recommendations for improving it — the earliest formal reflection on soil judging as a teaching tool.
Post, Miller & Allen (1974) →Group (TEAM) judging introduced at the U.S. national contest
Building on an experiment by Terence Cooper in 1991, the national contest added a group component in which four or more students describe a pit collectively and submit a single, consensus scorecard. Later analysis of contest data showed that group scores exceeded individual scores on most sections of the card, and the format became a permanent part of the competition.
Cooper & Dolan (2003) →1st International Soil Judging Contest — Jeju, South Korea
Held alongside the 20th World Congress of Soil Science, the first international contest brought together national teams to describe volcanic soils and landscapes under a shared handbook, giving students their first chance to compare classification systems and field conventions across countries. Later editions followed in Hungary (2015), Brazil-Rio de Janeiro (2018) and Scotland-Glasgow (2022), and the 5th International Soil Judging Contest, held in Nanjing, China, in 2026, was the largest yet — 18 teams from 14 countries, and the first to require both Soil Taxonomy and the World Reference Base. The next contest will be held in Toronto in 2030.
SSSA report from Jeju →An international community of contests
Regional and national soil judging contests now run in numerous countries, with the U.S. national event regularly drawing more than twenty universities and several hundred participants. The International Soil Judging Contest continues to be held with each World Congress of Soil Science, keeping the field-skills tradition connected across national programmes.
Explore current contests →Co-chairs
Peter Schad
John Galbraith
Members
Chris Baxter, Erika Michéli, Andrew Sherfy, Márta Fuchs, Jaclyn Fiola, Richard Heck
Co-chairs
Brian Needelman
Erika Michéli
Members
Márta Fuchs, Peter Schad, Amber Anderson, Fabricio Pedron, Daniel Saurette, John Galbraith, Rosa Poch
Co-chairs
Yuri Gelsleichter
Caleb Ocansey
Members
Jaclyn Fiola, Jorge Mataix Solera, Daniel Saurette, Fei Yang, Will Hernández
Co-chairs
John Galbraith
Fei Yang
Members
Biao Huang, Ganlin Zhang, Brian Needelman, Peter Schad, Daniel Saurette, Jinlong Dong, Xin Song