National Geography Bee

The National Geography Bee (NGB) is a pyramidal buzzer-based competition where participants answer questions about geography. Founded by David Madden's International Academic Competitions (IAC) in 2017, the NGB is held alongside various other events, including the National History Bee and Bowl, at IAC's National Championships. The event contains two high school divisions: a varsity division, for students in 11th and 12th grade, and a junior varsity division, for students in 9th and 10th grade. In addition to high school, NGB offers separate divisions for 8th, 7th, and 6th grades, along with an elementary division. Prior to the 2023-24 academic year, the competition was known within the United States as the International Geography Bee (IGB).

Qualification

Students can qualify for the National Geography Bee through either a national qualifying exam or an online tournament.

National qualifying exams are offered at the 59 regional tournaments which take place in the winter and fall. The 50 question exams are multiple choice, awarding two points for a correct answer and subtracting a point for an incorrect response. If a student meets or exceeds a 75 point threshold, they automatically qualify for both the National Geography Bee and the International Geography Championships. If a student places in the top 50% of all the test-takers at their regional tournament site, they qualify as well. Finally, if a student scores at or above the national median score of their version of the exam, they qualify as well.

NGB also administers online qualifying tournaments as an alternate method of qualification. These tournaments follow a more conventional format, with 4 rounds of pyramidal, buzzer-based tossups. If a student places in the top half of participants at the competition, they receive automatic qualification for the national competition.

Format

In the preliminary rounds of nationals, questions are arranged in a series of 35 tossups, worth one point each. When players reach a score of eight, however, they will "buzz out", and collect a number of bonus points based on how early they do so. A player who buzzes out in the minimum number of questions receives a score of 15, while a player who buzzes out on the last question receives a score of 8. Additionally, if a player is the third incorrect interrupt of a question, they will receive a 1 point deduction from their current score, and the question will go dead.

The top 32 (or sometimes 40) players based on preliminary scores then advance to the semifinals. Both the semifinal and final rounds use the 6-5-4-3-2-1 scoring system, with questions being powermarked into sections of 6, 5, and 4 points. If a student buzzes correctly after the question is over, they receive 3 points. If a player buzzes incorrectly during the question a 2 point deduction is incurred, while an incorrect buzz after the question incurs a 1 point deduction. Players buzz out on 50 (or sometimes 40) points in playoff rounds. The top 2 players in each semifinal room advance to the finals.

Past Champions and Results

Bee

Year	Varsity Champion	JV Champion	Middle School Champion	Elementary School Champion
2017	Jakob Myers, Naperville North	Rohil Bhinge, Frost MS	Saket Pochiraju, Olentangy Orange MS	Satvik Pochiraju, Olentangy Meadows ES
2018	Alex Schmidt, Lehigh Valley	Samanyu Dixit, Metrolina Regional School	Overall and 7th Grade: Samik Bhinge, Frost MS 8th Grade: Samanyu Dixit, Metrolina Regional School	Overall and 6th Grade: Rohan Ganeshan, Homeschool 5th Grade: John Augustyn, Notre Dame School 4th Grade and Younger: Anish Raja, Brookwood ES
2019	Karan Menon, JP Stevens	Samvrit Rao, Stone Hill MS	8th Grade: Rishabh Wuppalapati, Daniel Wright 7th Grade: Kaylan Patel, Windermere Preparatory School 6th Grade: Vaibhav Hariram, Mills Park MS	Pranavkrishna Bharanidharan, California Montessori Project
2020	Toby Goldberg, Walt Whitman	Max Yang, Ladue	8th Grade: Aadi Gadekar, Brooklawn MS 7th Grade: Aarush Zarabi, Bret Harte MS 6th Grade: Shubham Kumar, Monroe Township MS	Anish Raja, Brookwood ES
2021	Dylan Rem, Southampton HS	Prithvi Narayanan, Park Forest MS	8th Grade: Srinidhaya Vempati, David E. Owens MS 7th Grade: Roman Gagliardi, Middlesex MS 6th Grade: Nirmal Melam, Bergman Academy	Malcolm McIntyre, Hearst ES
2022	Dylan Rem, Malibu HS	Aadi Gadekar, Morris County School of Technology	8th Grade: Akarsh Kollu, William R. Satz MS 7th Grade: Anish Raja, South Forsyth MS 6th Grade: Malcolm McIntyre, Alice Deal MS	Abhiraam Girish, John Gomes ES
2023	Aadi Gadekar, Morris County School of Technology	Pranavkrishna Bharanidharan, Bella Vista HS	8th Grade: Nirmal Melam, Bergman Academy 7th Grade: Malcolm McIntyre, Alice Deal MS 6th Grade: Siddanth Kumar, Bedford MS	5th Grade: Miller Angevine, Woodward Academy 4th Grade & Under: Charith Vaddelli, Patsy Sommer ES
2024	Akarsh Kollu, Biotechnology HS	Siddhu Nagarajan, Hillsborough MS	8th Grade: Malcolm McIntyre, Alice Deal MS 7th Grade: Naman Mishra, Rose Hill MS 6th Grade: Miller Angevine, Woodward Academy	5th Grade: Terrence Heng, Challenger-Middlefield 4th Grade: Trishob Thigulla, Osage ES 3rd Grade & Under: Yakshit Bagad, Reeves ES