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Geographic Bee Committee

Amy Ballard, Chair


The NMGIC Geographic Bee Committee is chaired by Amy Ballard of Central New Mexico Community College (CNM). Amy may be contacted at 505-224-3357, or via email.

Each year thousands of schools in the United States participate in the National Geographic Bee using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. The contest is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest in the subject, and increase public awareness about geography.

Schools with students in grades four through eight are eligible for this entertaining and challenging test of geographic knowledge.

The competition begins at the school level, usually in late Fall or early Winter. The competition requires at least 6 students as entrants, whether it be a homeschooled, private, or public school bee. Any number of competitors may enter these competitions; normally an overall total of five to six million enter each year. There are two major stages in these competitions: preliminary and final.

Past New Mexico Geographic Bee winners include:

  • 2008 - Elijah Candelario, 8th grader at Annunciation Catholic School in Albuquerque
  • 2007 - Sam Waitt, 6th grader at Rio Grande School in Santa Fe
  • 2006 - Luis Baca, 6th grader at Albuquerque Academy in Albuquerque

The New Mexico state-level Geographic Bee was held on Friday, April 3, 2009 (as were all other State-level Bees). The National Geographic Bee is scheduled for May 19-20, 2009, in Washington, D.C.

Geographic Bee at the national level

Since the first National Geography Bee in 1989, millions of students have competed each year for a U.S. $25,000 college scholarship and the honor of being national champion.

Last year's national winner was Akshay Rajagopal, sixth-grader from Nebraska. He won the Bee on his first attempt at the school, state and national level, and was one of only four champions with a perfect score in the finals. Akshay correctly answered the question "The urban area of Cochabamba has been in the news recently due to protests over the privatization of the municipal water supply and regional autonomy issues. Cochabamba is the third-largest conurbation in what country?" The answer? Bolivia !

More information on the National Bee can be found here.