North Texas Teen Wins National Geographic Bee
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WASHINGTON (AP) - A 14-year-old eighth-grader from North Texas with an impressive knowledge of rivers, mountain ranges, borders and cultures has won this year's National Geographic Bee.
Pranay Varada of Irving won Tuesday after a tense contest against another 14-year-old, Thomas Wright of Milwaukee.
Both answered five championship-round questions correctly, moving the bee into a sudden death tiebreaker. Pranay won by correctly identifying the Kunlun mountains, a 1,200-mile range along the Tibetan plateau.
Pranay, who goes to school in Carrollton, was a veteran geography bee competitor who finished in sixth place last year. He won a $50,000 scholarship, a trip to the Galapagos Islands and a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society.
Pranay's mother was in tears, saying that he worked all year to return for a win.
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