Update on the Future of GeoBee
The National Geographic Society is deeply proud of the 33-year legacy of the GeoBee and the millions of students, educators, parents, schools, and others who have participated in this iconic competition. In 2020, recognizing the difficult circumstances school communities found themselves in to safely educate students during the COVID-19 pandemic, we made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020-2021 GeoBee and instead focus on reimagining what a global geography experience for young people could look like entirely.
After many conversations and reflections with students, educators, and community members, we’ve made the decision to permanently discontinue the National Geographic GeoBee to make way for new, transformative, and innovative geography education opportunities in which students around the globe can more equitably participate.
To meet the challenges of the 21st century, we must empower the students of today with an explorer mindset and geographic competency, so that they are equipped to become the leaders and changemakers of tomorrow. This is why we have and always will invest significantly in geography education.
We are inspired by the passion and energy of the GeoBee community, and hope you’ll join us on the journey ahead to continue engaging learners as solution-seekers harnessing the power of geography. A key milestone on that journey will come at the release of new resources to develop an explorer mindset using the National Geographic Society Learning Framework.
We also encourage you to take advantage of our free Resource Library which includes thousands of activities, videos, maps, infographics, and fun facts including our Geography Collection, Fun with Geography, Introduction to Human Geography, geography-themed Kahoot! quizzes and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the National Geographic Society choose to permanently discontinue the GeoBee?
While we are proud of the National Geographic GeoBee’s 33-year legacy, we believe that this moment presents an opportunity to reimagine geography education and empower young people around the world as solution-seekers to confront our century’s most pressing challenges. In addition to the drop in GeoBee registration in 2020, important shifts—from the COVID-19 pandemic to an increased focus on racial injustice—challenge us to find new, transformative, meaningful ways to engage young people globally in geography.
I’m an educator. How can I continue to be involved with National Geographic?
Thank you for all that you do. Educators are integral to National Geographic’s mission. We encourage you to join our community @NatGeoEducation on Twitter and Facebook for ongoing opportunities to engage, learn and lead.
I’m a student. How can I continue to be involved with National Geographic?
We’re working to ensure that young people continue to have the knowledge, global understanding and skills to help solve our world’s most pressing problems. National Geographic offers other ways to connect with other students. We encourage you to join #GenGeo—our global community of young people who are exploring connections, thinking critically, collaborating globally, and seeking solutions to help protect our planet. To find out more, sign up here.
What other geography resources does National Geographic offer?
In addition to the GeoBee Study Toolkits, National Geographic offers many more geography resources:
Our Resource Library includes thousands of activities, videos, maps, infographics, and fun facts including our Geography Collection, Fun with Geography, Introduction to Human Geography, geography-themed Kahoot! quizzes and more. The materials are free and easy to implement.
Follow @NatGeoEducation on Facebook and Twitter for more geography-related resources, ideas, and inspiration.