<p>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.<br /><br /></p>.<p>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 here.<br /><br />Of the 10 finalists, seven were of Indian-origin.<br /><br />In addition to winning the title of National Geographic Bee champion, Menon received a USD 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.<br /><br />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.<br />The first-runner up and recipient of a USD 25,000 college scholarship was 11-year-old Shriya Yarlagadda of Michigan.<br /><br />The third place and a USD 10,000 college scholarship went to Sojas Wagle of Arkansas, a 13-year-old eighth grader.<br /><br />Menon answered all seven championship-round questions correctly to win the title.<br />The final question, which clinched the win for Menon, was: "If completed, the proposed Grand Inga Dam would become the world's largest hydropower plant. This dam would be built near Inga Falls on which African river?"<br /><br />The Congo River was the correct answer.<br /><br />Yarlagadda missed just the first question: "Mariupol, a city located at the mouth of the Kalmius River, is located on what sea that is an arm of the Black Sea?" The correct answer was Sea of Azov.<br /><br />Seven other finalists, who each won USD 500, were Kapil Nathan, a 10-year-old fifth grader from Birmingham, Alabama; Nicholas Monahan, a 12-year-old sixth grader from Idaho; Patrick Taylor, a 12-year-old seventh grader from Iowa; Abhinav Karthikeyan, a 12-year-old sixth grader from Maryland; Lucy Chae, a 13-year-old seventh grader from Massachusetts; Shreyas Varathan, a 14-year-old eighth grader from Minnesota; and Tejas Badgujar, a 13-year-old eighth grader from Pennsylvania.</p>
<p>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.<br /><br /></p>.<p>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 here.<br /><br />Of the 10 finalists, seven were of Indian-origin.<br /><br />In addition to winning the title of National Geographic Bee champion, Menon received a USD 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.<br /><br />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.<br />The first-runner up and recipient of a USD 25,000 college scholarship was 11-year-old Shriya Yarlagadda of Michigan.<br /><br />The third place and a USD 10,000 college scholarship went to Sojas Wagle of Arkansas, a 13-year-old eighth grader.<br /><br />Menon answered all seven championship-round questions correctly to win the title.<br />The final question, which clinched the win for Menon, was: "If completed, the proposed Grand Inga Dam would become the world's largest hydropower plant. This dam would be built near Inga Falls on which African river?"<br /><br />The Congo River was the correct answer.<br /><br />Yarlagadda missed just the first question: "Mariupol, a city located at the mouth of the Kalmius River, is located on what sea that is an arm of the Black Sea?" The correct answer was Sea of Azov.<br /><br />Seven other finalists, who each won USD 500, were Kapil Nathan, a 10-year-old fifth grader from Birmingham, Alabama; Nicholas Monahan, a 12-year-old sixth grader from Idaho; Patrick Taylor, a 12-year-old seventh grader from Iowa; Abhinav Karthikeyan, a 12-year-old sixth grader from Maryland; Lucy Chae, a 13-year-old seventh grader from Massachusetts; Shreyas Varathan, a 14-year-old eighth grader from Minnesota; and Tejas Badgujar, a 13-year-old eighth grader from Pennsylvania.</p>