GeoGames 2026 Team Information

The primary purpose of the GeoGames is to highlight the professionalism and the importance that the installers and the welding technicians play in the installation of geosynthetics materials. But as installers, we want to do that in a fun and informative way. That is why the GeoGames was created –to highlight YOU—the installer. (after all, the blueprints are just pretty pictures until installers show up.)

All the details for entering the competition can be found in this document. GeoGames 2026 Information Document.

Event Description

How skillfully and fast can your installation team wedge-weld five panels, air-test the seams and repair cross seams with extrusion welding!?

Every installer will be able to participate by filming their live performance and sending it to IAGI before June 1st, 2026.  The team application form will, however, need to be sent before March 31, 2026.

The performances will then be presented at the 13th International Conference on Geosynthetics (13 ICG) on September 14th, 2026, in Montreal, Canada.

 Rules

  • Teams need to hire a proctor who will monitor the teams' performances. The proctor will especially look out for:
  • Validity of the wedge welds (air tests)
  • Size and positioning of the patches
  • Validity of the extrusion welds (V-box)
  • Destruction testing of wedge welds and extrusion welds.
  • Teams need to consist of exactly two players.
  • Due to limited space, only the best teams will be showcased in the competition. However, each company is encouraged to send in multiple teams and entries.
  • All Players must be wearing proper PPE (Steel toe boots, safety glasses, safety vests, gloves and hard hats).
  • Prior to the start of Wedge Welding, the teams position their panels exactly as shown in page 4. They calibrate their machines, leave them on, and position them where they want inside the layout. At this time, teams are allowed to cut out the patches that will be required for the repairs as well.
  • Once ready, the players need to wait outside the layout, just beside the camera. The Proctor counts down 3-2-1 before the team can enter the layout - the Proctor then starts chrono (stopwatch) once the team enters the layout.
  •  Once ALL Wedge Welds have been validated by proper air testing, the team can move on to repairs. The team can’t move on to repairs unless all air tests pass (IAGI Installation Guideline Section 3.05.6.B) that will be confirmed by the proctor.
  • The team then needs to repair and seal their cross seams with extrusion welds patches.
  • Once all repairs have been achieved, the team needs to leave the layout, the proctor then stops the chrono.
  • The proctor then conducts v-box testing (IAGI Installation Guideline Section 3.05.6.B) on repairs and applies applicable penalties.
  • The proctor also conducts DT testing on one wedge weld and one extrusion weld of his choosing - ANY DT FAILURE WILL RESULT IN AUTOMATIC DISQUALIFICATION!!! 
  • The team with the overall lowest time wins!

 

Penalties

New rules as of 2026!

  • Wedge welding over T-joints is still permitted. However, every T-joint needs to be air-tested on all sides. Each team MUST conduct a total of 7 air tests prior to moving on to repairs.
  • The only materials accepted will be LLDPE or HDPE 1.50mm. Teams presenting any other material will be disqualified. 
  • Wedge welds and air tests.
  • Channels must be filled with air to 30-35 PSI and must not sustain more than a loss of 4 PSI over the course of 5 minutes. Should a competitor remove clamps before 5 minutes, a penalty of the balance time + 30 seconds will be added to the team’s total.
  • IAGI understands that typically there needs to be time for the pressure to reach equilibrium (2 minutes), but for the purpose of the games, the 5 minutes will start as soon as the pressure has reached the desired PSI (30-35 PSI)
  • Clamps must be removed from the other side of the manometer. Should clamps be removed on the same side, a penalty of 15 seconds will be added to the team’s total.
  • Any leak in a wedge weld must be repaired and re-tested before moving forward.

Repairs

  • Teams must have all their air tests validated by the proctor before moving on to repairs. Should a team start repairs before air tests are ALL validated, the balance time between start of the repairs until validation of air tests will be added to that teams’ total plus a penalty of 60 seconds.
  • Patches must extend at least 6 inches from the sides of the defect. Every patch that doesn’t respect this criterion will add 30 second penalty to that team’s total. 
  • Once the team has finished all repairs and the chrono has been stopped by the proctor, the proctor verifies all the patches with a V-Box. Leaks on any given patch will add a 60-second penalty.
  • Misc

-        GeoGames reserves the right to apply 30-second penalties to clear safety violations or quality violations that do not follow the IAGI Installation Guideline (EX: Throwing a knife onto the liner, not wearing gloves, not grinding before extrusion welding, etc)

 

Panel Layout & Camera Positioning

  •  The main camera must be placed 10 feet from the bottom right corner, and 7 to 8 feet in the air, as shown in the pictures below.

 

  • The main camera must be fixed and film in landscape mode. We cannot use portrait orientation film in the final presentation at GeoGames.
  • The feed of the main camera must be continuous, any tampering with the main feed will get a team automatically disqualified.
  • We encourage teams to have other feeds, other cameras! These can consist of other people filming with their phone (also in landscape mode). These cameras can move around, zoom in and out, film close-ups, etc. We want to see action, we want to see faces!

 Put your company’s best foot forward and let your CWTs shine on the GeoGames battlefield!

Things to Know Before You Sign Up

You must be a member in good standing of IAGI as of 1 January 2023.

You are asked to wear a company team shirt that includes your company’s name/logo for a bit of unabashed self-promotion for your company.

A few suggestions for your consideration

Cheering sections are encouraged.

You may want to hang a company banner within the camera frame. Please position it so the banner does not interfere with the team members or distract from the competition.

 Team Instructions Webinar