ABERDEEN, S.D. – The 2017 South Dakota National Geographic Bee will take place in the Northern State University Krikac Auditorium on March 31.

The State Bees are the second level of the annual National Geographic Bee. The state champion will receive $100, the National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World, 4th Edition and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent South Dakota in the National Geographic Bee Championship to be held at National Geographic Society headquarters, May 14-17, 2017. The final round will be moderated by journalist and humorist Mo Rocca and will air on National Geographic at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Friday, May 19. The national champion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the Society, including a subscription to National Geographic magazine and an all-expenses-paid Lindblad expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the new National Geographic Endeavour ll. Travel for the trip is provided by Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. Second- and third-place finishers will receive $25,000 and $10,000 college scholarships, respectively. For more information on the National Geographic Bee, please visit www.natgeobee.org.

WHO:   71 students, grades four through eight, representing South Dakota.

WHEN/WHERE:       

Krikac Auditorium at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota

Preliminary rounds: 10:00 AM

Final round: 1:15 PM in Krikac Auditorium at Northern State University

CONTACT:                              

Dr. Erin H. Fouberg, Professor of Geography, Northern State University, 605-626-3456, erin.fouberg@northern.edu

Farley Fitzgerald, National Geographic Society, 202-807-3132, ffitzgerald@ngs.org

ONLINE PRESS MATERIALS: bit.ly/NatGeoBeePress

About Northern State University

Northern State University offers outstanding academics and exceptional extracurricular activities at an affordable price on a safe, welcoming campus. To learn more about NSU, visit NSU Admissions.