-- Soil Judging International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS) --
"Learning two new, globally relevant classification systems was a fantastic experience and markedly improved my skill set. This experience will serve me well in a field-based soil science career."
"One sticker read, 'Judge soils, not people,' and it perfectly captured the spirit of the event: diverse people united by science, curiosity and a love of getting their feet dirty."
"It was amazing to be in a new country with so many like-minded individuals who love soils. It was a great opportunity to experience Chinese soils and agriculture while meeting people from around the globe."
"The contest provided an opportunity to exchange experiences and academic perspectives with students, professors and specialists from different countries, while strengthening international collaboration in soil science."
"Nothing stands out more than the personal relationships we made. It was wonderful to share a passion for soil science with participants, coaches, officials, organisers and hosts."
"Our students described it as the best soil experience they had ever had. The contest helped them rapidly develop fundamental skills that they will carry into their future careers."
"Taking part in the training and practising soil description with so many fantastic expertsโand meeting wonderful soil enthusiasts from around the worldโwere major highlights. It was all positive!"
Tailored materials developed from IUSS Templates and
specific one like FAQ, Handbook, Program, etc.
Manuals providing standardized procedures for describing soil profiles
๐ Soil Taxonomy: NRCS Field BookA Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys
๐ Keys to Soil Taxonomy 2022World Reference Base for Soil Resources
๐ WRB 2022 linkInternational Soil Judging past contests materials: Handbooks, scoresheets
MaterialsExplore various training resources and techniques.
Enhance your field skills in soil morphology and classification. Access study guides, simplified WRB and Soil Taxonomy keys, and past contest scoresheets to sharpen your expertise.
Leading a national team or planning a regional event? Download the official IUSS guidance for coaches, hosting standards, and standardized scorecards to ensure fair evaluation.
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
Seropรฉdica, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as part of the 21st World Congress of Soil Science.
2nd International Soil Judging Contest
Gรถdรถllล, 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 โ 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 9โ12). Although it predates collegiate soil judging and shares some field skills, land judging is organized by entirely different bodies โ not by SSSA or ASA โ 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 โFirst 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 โ 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 โFirst National Collegiate Soils Contest โ 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 โFirst 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 โ the earliest formal reflection on soil judging as a teaching tool.
Post, Miller & Allen (1974) โGroup (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) โ1st International Soil Judging Contest โ 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 โ 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 โAn 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 โCo-chairs
Peter Schad
John Galbraith
Members
Chris Baxter, Erika Michรฉli, Andrew Sherfy, Mรกrta Fuchs, Jaclyn Fiola, Richard Heck
Co-chairs
Brian Needelman
Erika Michรฉli
Members
Mรกrta 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 Hernรกndez
Co-chairs
John Galbraith
Fei Yang
Members
Biao Huang, Ganlin Zhang, Brian Needelman, Peter Schad, Daniel Saurette, Jinlong Dong, Xin Song