A Tucson eighth-grader outlasted 99 peers to take first place in the 2018 Arizona National Geographic State Bee here, earning a spot in the national competition.
Gayatri Kaimal, a student at Basis Tucson North, was awarded a $200 cash prize from the event Friday at the Tucson Convention Center.
Kaimal also received a second edition of the βNational Geographic Visual Arts of the Worldβ and will represent Arizona as she travels on an all-expenses-paid trip to the nationβs capital for the national championship.
State and territory winners, 54 students in all, will be in the final competition with Kaimal.
The National Geographic Bee Championship spans May 20 to May 23. The students will compete for a $50,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society and an expenses-paid trip to the Galapagos Islands.
The second-place finisher will receive a $25,000 scholarship; third place will win a $10,000 scholarship.
