Session Details
The Frank Arnott - Next Generation Explorers Award (NGEA™) is an international competition where teams of geoscience university students collaborate to transform datasets into their interpretation of the subsurface geology and mineralisation targets.
The 2026 finalists will present their submissions and compete for the grand prize of CAN $5,000 and three CAN $3,000 prizes for the teams with the highest scores in Innovation, Data Integration, and Impact & Exploration Significance.
This event comprises each team’s five-minute pitch, a panel discussion, and a post-award poster session:
Team Presentations: 2:00 - 2:45 pm
Panel Discussion: 2:45 - 3:25 pm
Poster Session: 3:25 pm - 4:00 pm
Finalist Teams
Bana Kongo Team
Integrated Target Generation for Ni-Cu-PGE (Kunene Magmatic System) and Cu-Co (Damara Sediment-Hosted System)
Trésor Hubert Kawaya, Prefina Waba Losamba, Dieu-merci Kula Ngoma, Ridi Diakondua Vuilawo
University of Kinshasa, DRC
Disruptive Explorers Team
Scouting for Prospects in Quesnel
Gerson Jordan Villugas Avellaneda, Neil Harrison Berrospi Rios, Daniel Abinadab Basilio Rojas, Anyela Pierina Vega Quispe
Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (Peru), Universidade Federal de Lavras (Brasil)
Minaric Team
From Heritage to Discovery
Ruben Chusin, Kevin Gomez, Carlos Schwarck, Neyber Carhuayano
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria (Peru)
Mine Hunters Team
Unraveling the Concealed Mineral Potential of the Eastern Fold Belt, Northwest Queensland: A Data-Driven Prospectivity Study
Leandro Miguel Caceres Lima, Renato Freitas Medeiros
Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (Brasil)
Rockers Team
Deep Learning Meets Geoscience: Integrating CNN, AHP, And Multisource Data for Mineral Prospectivity Mapping of Irish-Type Deposits in the Republic of Ireland
Ali Ahmed Mohieldain Ali, Solonandrasana Anthonio Ehdy Florice, Mansour Moroj Essam Mohamed Khalil, Martins Uchenna Obidiegwu, Mahmoud Admed Mahmoud Sayed
Miskolc University (Hungary)
Waykis Team
Exploring One of the World’s Largest and Most Unique Historical Pb–Zn Deposits — Broken Hill!
Antonio Chavez Anccasi, Walter Manuel Huillcas Farfan, Jean Pierre Avendaño Qusispe, Jordan Angel Zavaleta Reyes
National University of Engineering (Peru)
This event comprises each team’s five-minute pitch, a panel discussion, and a post-award poster session:
Team Presentations: 2:00 - 2:45 pm
Panel Discussion: 2:45 - 3:25 pm
Poster Session: 3:25 pm - 4:00 pm
Finalist Teams
Bana Kongo Team
Integrated Target Generation for Ni-Cu-PGE (Kunene Magmatic System) and Cu-Co (Damara Sediment-Hosted System)
Trésor Hubert Kawaya, Prefina Waba Losamba, Dieu-merci Kula Ngoma, Ridi Diakondua Vuilawo
University of Kinshasa, DRC
Disruptive Explorers Team
Scouting for Prospects in Quesnel
Gerson Jordan Villugas Avellaneda, Neil Harrison Berrospi Rios, Daniel Abinadab Basilio Rojas, Anyela Pierina Vega Quispe
Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería (Peru), Universidade Federal de Lavras (Brasil)
Minaric Team
From Heritage to Discovery
Ruben Chusin, Kevin Gomez, Carlos Schwarck, Neyber Carhuayano
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Universidad Nacional de Ingenieria (Peru)
Mine Hunters Team
Unraveling the Concealed Mineral Potential of the Eastern Fold Belt, Northwest Queensland: A Data-Driven Prospectivity Study
Leandro Miguel Caceres Lima, Renato Freitas Medeiros
Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (Brasil)
Rockers Team
Deep Learning Meets Geoscience: Integrating CNN, AHP, And Multisource Data for Mineral Prospectivity Mapping of Irish-Type Deposits in the Republic of Ireland
Ali Ahmed Mohieldain Ali, Solonandrasana Anthonio Ehdy Florice, Mansour Moroj Essam Mohamed Khalil, Martins Uchenna Obidiegwu, Mahmoud Admed Mahmoud Sayed
Miskolc University (Hungary)
Waykis Team
Exploring One of the World’s Largest and Most Unique Historical Pb–Zn Deposits — Broken Hill!
Antonio Chavez Anccasi, Walter Manuel Huillcas Farfan, Jean Pierre Avendaño Qusispe, Jordan Angel Zavaleta Reyes
National University of Engineering (Peru)
2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Next Generation Explorers Award (NGEA™) - Finalist Presentations