Hot Springs student to compete in National Geographic 'Geo Bee' | People

Geo Bee 2012 will air on the National Geographic Channel with simulcast on Nat Geo WILD

Thursday, May 24, 8–10 p.m. ET/PT

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- What is the name of the body of water between the Bosporus and the Dardanelles?

If you answered "Sea of Marmar", you might stack up well against Christian Boekhout, a 6th grader from Hot Springs who will represent Arkansas in the 24th annual National Geographic Bee in Washington D.C., May 22-24. Out of millions of participating students, Christian is one of only 54 who have qualified for the finals of the annual competition, with $50,000 in scholarship money up for grabs among other prizes. The final round of the Bee will be simulcast on the National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD on May 24 at 8 pm ET/PT.

National Geographic Channel (NGC) announced it will air the final round of the 2012 National Geographic Bee just hours after it takes place at National Geographic Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 24, 2012.  The two-hour, day-of-competition premiere, to be simulcast on both NGC and Nat Geo WILD, is a first for the National Geographic Bee, now in its 24th year.

Moderated by “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, 10 students (narrowed from 54 finalists and from millions of participants nationwide) will vie for the national title and three scholarships worth a total of $50,000.  In addition to the nail-biting final questions, the special will feature background vignettes on the contestants, offering further insight into the character of these special youngsters and exposing the emotions they experience during the National Geographic Bee competition. And for the first time, the program will also include multiple-choice options for select questions, visible only to viewers at home, so the TV audience can participate alongside the whiz kids.

Also new to the program this year is youth correspondent Luke Hellum. The 14-year-old, who finished seventh at the 2011 National Geographic Bee, will help viewers experience the Bee through the eyes of the student competitors, granting access to what’s happening in their worlds during this thrilling and pressure-packed time in their lives.  

The champion will win the top prize of a $25,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society.  The second- and third-place finishers will be awarded college scholarships of $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.  The fourth-place finisher will be awarded $1,000.  Additionally, the national winner (along with one parent or guardian) will travel, all expenses paid, to the Galápagos to experience geography firsthand through up-close encounters with the islands’ wildlife and landscape.  Travel for the Galápagos trip is provided by Lindblad Expeditions and the National Geographic Society.  Google is the sponsor of this year’s contest.

Geo Bee 2012 is produced by M&M Productions, Inc. in association with National Geographic Television, Inc. for National Geographic Channels. For M&M Productions, Inc., executive producer is Mark Mayer, co-executive producers are Matt Maranz and Dave Swartz. For National Geographic Television, Inc., co-executive producer is Ted Duvall. For National Geographic Channels, executive producer is Char Serwa and executive vice president of programming is Michael Cascio.

The National Geographic Society developed the National Geographic Bee in 1989 in response to concern about the lack of geographic knowledge among young people in the United States.

For more information on the competition, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/geobee. Additional press materials are available on the Geo Bee FTP site at  http://bit.ly/geobee2012 | username/password: press .

National Geographic Channels

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Channels US are a joint venture between National Geographic and Fox Cable Networks.  The Channels contribute to the National Geographic Society’s commitment to exploration, conservation and education with smart, innovative programming and profits that directly support its mission.  Launched in January 2001, National Geographic Channel (NGC) celebrated its fifth anniversary with the debut of NGC HD.  In 2010, the wildlife and natural history cable channel Nat Geo WILD was launched, and in 2011, the Spanish-language network Nat Geo Mundo was unveiled.  The Channels have carriage with all of the nation’s major cable, telco and satellite television providers, with NGC currently available in over 83 million U.S. homes.  Globally, National Geographic Channel is available in 435 million homes in 173 countries and 37 languages. For more information, visit www.natgeotv.com.