Social Sciences
Understand society. Tackle the issues that matter to you.
Social Sciences is the study of people and the world they build together: how societies are organised, the rules they live by, the cultures they share and the challenges they face. This category invites you to research a real social issue you care about, find evidence, propose solutions and share what you discover.
What can my project be about?
Choose from any of these areas, or combine them for an interdisciplinary project.
Psychology
The human mind and how people think, feel and behave.
Economics & Business
Markets, econometrics, industrial relations, business and management.
Educational Sciences
Teaching, learning, pedagogy and special education, including gifted learners and learning difficulties.
Sociology
Communities, demography, anthropology and ethnology.
Social Topics
Gender studies, family studies, social work and current social issues.
Law
The laws and regulations that shape how society works.
Political Science
Political systems, structures, power and decision-making.
Social & Economic Geography
How place and space affect people, wealth and opportunity.
Environment & Society
The social side of environmental issues and how people respond to them.
Media & Communications
Journalism, information and library science, and media's role in culture.
Other Social Sciences
Any other social science topic or cross-disciplinary approach.
Your project challenge
Pick a social issue you feel strongly about and follow these four steps.
Choose
Select a social issue that matters to you and frame a clear research question.
Investigate
Read existing research, then collect and analyse your own data.
Solve
Use your evidence to develop practical, original solutions.
Present
Share your findings clearly and explain the impact they could have.
How projects are judged
Every project is scored out of 100 across ten criteria.
What judges look for
- Originality – a fresh idea or a new way of solving the problem.
- Sound method – a clear question, research into existing work, careful data collection and conclusions backed by evidence.
- Honesty about limits – what your data can't show, and ideas for further research.
- Thoroughness – a complete project and a detailed project journal.
- Ethics – respect for participants, consent and privacy.
- Clear understanding – confident answers about every part of your project.
- Benefit to society – how your work could help people.
- Credit – acknowledge anyone who helped you.
Ready to make a difference?
Register your Social Sciences project for the International Greenwich Olympiad.
Apply now