A team from IFP School took 2nd place in the Imperial Barrel Award competition (Europe region) following a challenge held from April 17 to 24, 2026.
Organized annually by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), this international competition is open to geoscience students. Over the course of two months, teams evaluate the potential of a prospect using a set of real-world data, then present their findings to a panel of industry professionals during the regional semifinals. The top six teams advance to the finals and defend their analysis once again. The winning team then qualifies for the world finals, traditionally held in the United States.
Composed of Alexandre Caplette, Pearlina Kishore, Sonia Onyeneke, Laura Rodriguez, and David Tabele, the IFP School team can be proud of this performance: after several weeks of work, IFP School secured second place on the podium, behind Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary), the winner of this edition, and ahead of the University of Miskolc (Hungary). The University of Bucharest (Romania) was also represented.
The IFP School team was led by Arnaud Torres, with support from industry mentors (Nicolas Daynac – Eliis and Jacob Jackson – ExxonMobil).
“This experience was a human adventure: thanks to our complementary skill sets, the group made rapid progress in an atmosphere of trust and mutual support. Despite the intensity of the work, what stands out most to us is the team spirit and the moments we shared,” says Alexandre Caplette.
Congratulations to our students on this wonderful achievement!