WASHINGTON DC (TIP):  Indian American whiz kids won the top three awards at the 30th annual National Geographic Bee competition. Barring two, all the finalists were of Indian origin.

For the seventh consecutive year, an Indian American kid, Venkat Ranjan, 13, of California was crowned winner of the prestigious competition.

In second place was Anoushka Buddhikot, 13, of New Jersey, and the third place finisher was Vishal Sareddy, 14, of Georgia. The winners were awarded one of three college scholarships totaling $85,000 at the competition held at the National Geographic headquarters in the nation’s capital.

Ranjan secured the top award of $50,000, the title of National Geographic Bee Champion, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society, including a subscription to the National Geographic magazine, and an all-expenses-paid expedition to the Galapago Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavour II.

Buddhikot and Sareddy received $25,000 and $10,000, respectively. Following the preliminary round which was held on May 21^st, each of the top ten winners was awarded $500.

Upon winning the competition, Ranjan confessed to not knowing the answer to the final question and arrived at it by eliminating other options.

Ranjan started seriously preparing for the competition three years ago. This was the first time he was competing at the national level and he won.

Buddhikot, who is in eighth grade at Bridgewater-Raritan Middle School, says history is her favorite subject. “I think it’s interesting to learn from the past and be able to bring that back to our future,” she said.

About preparing for the National Geographic Bee, she mentioned studying for hours every day, especially over summer and the holidays, ever since she was in fourth grade.

Sareddy, in eighth grade at Riverwatch Middle School, Suwanee, was a returning contestant at the national level.

“Preparing for the competition was a lot of hard work,” he said. Besides studying atlases and staying abreast of the news, “You have to have a passion for geography which is really your driving force to work this hard and win,” he said. “You also have to have a coach like a parent. For me, it was my Dad.”

“On stage, you have to be calm. You can’t be stressed or nervous or even over-excited. That can really hurt your performance in the Bee,” he said.

Sareddy started preparing for the competition from first grade and more seriously from the fourth grade onwards. Given that geography has been his passion ever since he was a child, he would like to pursue a career in that field and cited possible options such as a National Geographic explorer, an international economist, marine biologist, or an archaeologist.

In school, his favorite subject is social studies, and in his spare time, he likes to play the violin, basketball, runs cross-country, and loves to travel.

The competition, also known as the Nat Geo Bee, is an annual geography contest open to students ages 10 to 14, organized by the National Geographic Society. It is tough and challenging, but also entertaining and very impressive! The aim is to inspire and reward children for their knowledge and curiosity about the world.