15th National Geographic Bee

15th National Geographic Bee
DateMay 21, 2003
LocationWashington, D.C.
WinnerJames Williams
Age14
ResidenceVancouver, Washington
No. of contestants55
Preceded by14th National Geographic Bee
Followed by16th National Geographic Bee

The 15th National Geographic Bee was held in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2003, sponsored by the National Geographic Society and ING. The final competition was moderated by Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek.[1] The winner was James Williams, a homeschooled student from Vancouver, Washington, who won a $25,000 college scholarship, lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society, and a trip to a Busch Gardens/Sea World Adventure Camp. The 2nd-place winner, Dallas Simons of Martin Luther King Magnet School in Nashville, Tennessee, won a $15,000 scholarship. The 3rd-place winner, Sean Rao of St. Gabriel School in Hubertus, Wisconsin, won a $10,000 scholarship.[2]

2003 State Champions

State Winner's Name Grade School City/Town Notes
Arkansas Jacob Felts 8th Hardy Top 10 finalist
Colorado Kathryn Prose Denver Top 10 finalist
District of Columbia Thomas Meyerson 7th Top 10 finalist
Florida David Goldman 8th Fort Lauderdale Top 10 finalist
Hawaii Eric Liaw 5th Punahou Junior High School Honolulu
Kansas Andrew Wojtanik 7th Overland Park
Michigan Jamie Deng 6th East Middle School Canton
Minnesota Nathan Cornelius 5th Cottonwood
Ohio Christopher Butler Shaker Heights Top 10 finalist
Oklahoma Christopher Chesny 7th Claremore
Oregon Samuel Brandt 6th Roosevelt Middle School Eugene Top 10 finalist
Rhode Island Karan Takhar 6th Gordon School East Providence Top 10 finalist
Tennessee Dallas Simons Martin Luther King Magnet School Nashville Second Place
Texas Sameer Ahmed 7th Rice Middle School Plano
Utah Kevin Chen Ni 8th Churchill Junior High School Millcreek
Washington James Williams 8th Vancouver 2003 Champion
Wisconsin Sean Rao 8th St. Gabriel School Hubertus Third Place

References

  1. ^ Melody Kramer. "Alex Trebek: On Hosting the National Geographic Bee". National Geographic. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013.
  2. ^ Jennifer Vernon. "Washington State Eighth Grader Wins National Geographic Bee". National Geographic News. Archived from the original on June 28, 2003.