On Friday, April 9, young geography whizzes across the United States and U.S. territories will participate in state-level Geographic Bees, competing for a spot in the national competition in Washington, D.C., in May. The Bee is organized by the National Geographic Society.

Jacob Hoskins, a seventh-grader at Algoma Christian School in Kent City, was notified by the National Geographic Society that he will compete as a semifinalist against the top 100 students in the state at the 2010 Michigan Geographic Bee April 9, at the Bernhard Center at Western Michigan University.

He is the son of Dan and Laureen Hoskins of Algoma Township.

Bees were held in schools with fourth through eighth-grade students throughout the state to determine each school’s winner. School-level winners then took a qualifying test, which they submitted to the National Geographic Society. In each of the 50 states and territories, the Society invited students with the top 100 scores compete at the sate level.

Each state winner will receive $100, the “National Geographic Collegiate Atlas of the World,” and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., for the national finals May 25-26 and the chance to be crowned National Geographic Bee champion.

First prize in the national competition is a $25,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society. Second- and third-place finishers receive $15,000 and $10,000 college scholarships, respectively. Additionally, the national winner will travel (along with one parent or guardian), all expenses paid, to the Galápagos Islands to experience geography firsthand through up-close encounters with the wildlife and landscape of the islands.

John Fahey, president and CEO of the National Geographic Society, said, “National Geographic’s mission is to inspire people to care about the planet. Through the National Geographic Bee and our other activities, we hope to foster a lifelong passion for learning about other cultures and lands and to prepare young people to be responsible stewards of our planet.”