The history of Geography Olympiad in Poland reaches back 40 years, when the idea for such an Olympiad was brought to the attention of the Polish Geographical Society by prof. Anna Dylikowa. In 1974 at the request of the Main Board of the Polish Geographical Society the Minister of Education established Geography Olympiad and the Geography Olympiad Committee which is responsible for organising the competition. Geography Olympiad Committee was led by prof. Anna Dylikowa until her tragic death in the year 2000. In the years 2001-2005 the Committee was chaired by prof. Wojciech Stankowski, and since 2006 prof. Teresa Madeyska is the Chair of the Geography Olympiad Committee.
In addition to the Geography Olympiad Committee, there are 12 Regional Committees which assist with the organisation of the local and regional stages of the Geography Olympiad, serving 1 or 2 voivodeships each.
The finals of the 1st Geography Olympiad took place in 1975 in Łódz and the competition had been held yearly in the same form until 1991. In 1991 the form of the Geography Olympiad was changed to incorporate the nautical „Youths at See” competition. The Geography Olympiad Committee was renamed Geography Olympiad and Nautical Olympiad Committee. Geography Olympiad and Nautical Olympiad finals were held together from 1992 to 2010. Since 2011 due to the changes in the rules governing the organisation of the olympiads and contests for secondary school students in Poland the old form of the Geography Olympiad and the name Geography Olympiad Committee have been brought back.
During the 40-year-long history of the Olympiad, the finals have been organised in over 30 cities and towns across the whole country (Source: http://www.olimpiadageograficzna.edu.pl/).