Courtesy photo Pictured from left are Abhinav Govindaraju, final round moderator and WMUR meteorologist Josh Judge, Sean Cheng and Pranav Rohit.

KEENE – Abhinav Govindaraju, a seventh grader from Ross A. Lurgio Middle School, Bedford, took top honors at the 2017 New Hampshire National Geographic Bee held March 31 at Keene State College. The state champion received $100, a medal, the National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World, 4th Edition and will journey to Washington, D.C., to represent New Hampshire in the National Geographic Bee Championship to be held at National Geographic Society headquarters, May 14-17. Second place went to Sean Cheng, a 7th-grader from Cooperative Middle School in Stratham, and third place went to Pranav Rohit, a 6th-grader from McKelvie Intermediate School in Bedford.

Up to 100 fourth to eighth graders in each of the 50 states, District of Columbia, Atlantic and Pacific territories and Department of Defense Dependents Schools took part in State Bees.

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 Galapagos 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.

The national championship preliminary rounds will take place on Sunday, May 14, and Monday, May 15, in Washington, D.C. The national championship final rounds featuring the top 10 finalists will be held on Wednesday, May 17, at National Geographic’s Washington, D.C., headquarters and moderated by humorist and journalist Mo Rocca. National Geographic will air the final round of the National Geographic Bee Championship at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 19. It will be aired later on public television stations; check local television listings for dates and times.

Everyone can test their geography knowledge with the exciting Geo Bee Quiz, an online geography quiz at www.nationalgeographic.org/bee/study/quiz, which poses 10 new questions a day.