Two Santa Clarita students have been notified by the National Geographic Society that they are two of the semifinalists eligible to compete in the 2019 National Geographic GeoBee California State Competition. The contest will be held at Maya Cinemas Fresno, 3090 E Campus Pointe Dr. in Fresno on Friday, March 29, 2019.

Sixth-grader Praneel Samal from Stevenson Ranch Elementary School and Sawyer Wiltfong, 7th-grader from Rancho Pico Junior High School will compete in the second level of the National Geographic GeoBee competition, which is now in its 31st year.

School GeoBees were held in schools with fourth- through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school champion. School champions then took an online qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. The National Geographic Society has invited up to 100 of the top-scoring students in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense Dependents Schools and U.S. territories to compete in the State GeoBees.

This year, National Geographic increased the prize money for all State GeoBees. State champions will receive a medal, $1,000 in cash, and other prizes, as well as a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent their state in the National Championship to be held at National Geographic Society headquarters, May 19-22, 2019. Students that come in second and third place will receive cash awards of $300 and $100, respectively.

Each State Champion will advance to the National Championship and compete for cash awards and college scholarships. In 2019, the national champion will receive a $25,000 college scholarship, $1,000 in cash, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society, and an all-expenses-paid Lindblad expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavour ll; second place will receive at $10,000 college scholarship and $1,000 in cash; third place will receive a $5,000 college scholarship and $1,000 in cash; and seven runners-up will receive $1,000 in cash each. Visit www.natgeobee.org for more information on the National Geographic GeoBee.

Follow the National competition at National Geographic Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on May 19-22 at natgeoed.org/experiences.

How would you fare as a National Geographic GeoBee contestant? At the school GeoBees this year, students had to answer questions like these:

At more than 100 miles in length, Long Island is the longest barrier island in which state—Kentucky or New York?
New York

Which state is closer to the Gulf of Mexico—Virginia or Arkansas?
Arkansas

It takes about 90 days for a drop of water to travel the length of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River starts in Minnesota and flows 2,340 miles south to its outlet in which state—Louisiana or South Carolina?
Louisiana

The Magdalena River, the principal river of Colombia, flows through the city of Barranquilla near the Caribbean Sea on which continent?
South America

Which animal famous for its tusk spends most of the winter months under the sea ice in Baffin Bay between Canada and Greenland—emperor penguin or narwhal?
narwhal

Which country does not include part of the Kalahari Desert—Namibia, Botswana, or
Eritrea?
Eritrea

Commercial flower bulb production is an important economic activity in what country just north of Belgium?
Netherlands

Located near the Green Mountains, Montpelier is the capital of which state?
Vermont

Constructed during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, St. Basil’s Cathedral is located in Moscow in which country?
Russia

The Alboran Sea and the Ionian Sea are both part of which larger sea?
Mediterranean Sea

About the GEOBEE
Developed by the National Geographic Society in 1988 to promote geographic knowledge among young people in the United States, the National Geographic GeoBee is an academic competition for public schools, private schools, and homeschools in the United States and its territories, as well as the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS). Students in grades 4-8 from nearly 10,000 schools participate annually for a chance to win college scholarships and the glory of being the National Geographic GeoBee Champion. Over more than three decades, 120 million students have learned about the world through participation in the GeoBee.

About the National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society is an impact-driven global nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. Since 1888, National Geographic has been pushing the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas to increase understanding of our world and generate solutions for a healthy, more sustainable future for generations to come. Our ultimate vision: a planet in balance. To learn more about the Society and its programs, visit www.nationalgeographic.org.