The International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) is an educational event for secondary school students globally, organized by the International Geoscience Education Organization (IGEO). Its aim is to enhance the level of geoscience education worldwide and increase public awareness of Earth Sciences. It is one of the twelve International Science Olympiads. The first IESO was held in Daegu, South Korea, in 2007, and it has been held annually since, attracting over 200 students from more than 40 countries and regions each year. The IESO is recognized globally for promoting Earth Science education, increasing students’ interest in Earth Sciences, and improving the quality of Earth Science education around the world. It has become an important leverage for students applying to Earth Science programs in universities across developed countries in Europe and America.

Despite its unique role in addressing major issues faced by human society and achieving sustainable development, there is still a disturbing gap between the Earth Science importance and its status in schools. The organization and promotion of the International Earth Science Olympiad are beneficial for increasing public understanding of Earth Sciences, attracting more students interested in Earth and planetary sciences to choose Earth Science majors, breaking through the bottleneck of talent training in Earth Sciences, and fostering leaders in the development of Earth Sciences.

The importance of IESO is on par with disciplines such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, informatics, and astronomy. Achievements in the IESO are widely recognized by top international universities and serve as a significant asset when applying to earth science programs at prestigious universities in Europe and North America.

The competition primarily assesses and tests students' knowledge and skills in various fields of earth science, including geology (including geomorphology), geophysics, seismology, meteorology, oceanography, astronomy, and environmental science.

国际地球科学奥林匹克竞赛（IESO）是由国际地球科学教育组织（IGEO）组织的全球中学生教育活动。其目的是提高全球地球科学教育水平，提高大众对地球科学的认识。它是十二个国际科学奥林匹克竞赛之一。首届IESO于2007年在韩国大邱举办，此后每年举办一届，每年吸引来自40多个国家和地区的200多名学生参加。IESO因其促进地球科学教育、提高学生对地球科学的兴趣以及提升全球地球科学教育的质量而获得广泛认可，已成为欧美发达国家大学申请地球科学专业的重要杠杆。

尽管地球科学在解决人类社会面临的重大问题和实现可持续发展方面发挥着独特作用，但地球科学的重要性与其在学校中的地位之间仍存在令人担忧的差距。国际地球科学奥林匹克竞赛的组织和推广，有利于增进公众对地球科学的了解，吸引更多对地球和行星科学感兴趣的学生选择地球科学专业，突破地球科学人才培养瓶颈，培养地球科学领域的领军人才。

IESO的重要性丝毫不亚于数学、物理、化学、生物、信息、天文学等学科。在IESO中所获得的成绩，被国际顶尖大学广泛认可，成为申请欧美发达国家大学地球科学专业时的重要筹码。

竞赛主要考察和测验中学生对于地质学（含地貌学）、地球物理学、地震学、气象学、海洋学、天文学和环境科学等地球科学领域的知识和能力。