Karan Menon, a 14-year-old Indian-American student, has won the prestigious National Geographic Bee competition in the US, in which the top three positions were bagged by Indian-origin contestants. Menon, an eighth grader from New Jersey, competed against 10 finalists from across the US to win the 2015 National Geographic Bee championship held yesterday at National Geographic headquarters. Of the 10 finalists, seven were of Indian-origin.
In addition to winning the title of National Geographic Bee champion, Menon received a $85,000 college scholarship, lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society and an expedition for two to the Galapagos Islands aboard the Lindblad ship National Geographic Endeavour.
Menon has added his name to a long list of Indian-origin kids who have made their mark over the years in the similarly coveted spelling bee championships in the US. The first-runner up and recipient of a $25,000 college scholarship was 11-year-old Shriya Yarlagadda of Michigan.