On Friday, April 1 at Pacific Lutheran University Joshua Maloy, seventh grader, from Mattson Middle School in Covington will compete in the 2016 National Geographic State Bee.

Preliminary rounds will begin at 12:30 p.m. A tiebreaker round will begin at 2:15 p.m. and the finals will start at 2:45 p.m.

The state Bees are the second level of the annual National Geographic Bee.

The state champion will receive $100, the National Geographic book “The National Parks: An Illustrated History” and a medal and will journey to Washington, DC, to represent Washington State in the National Geographic Bee Championship at National Geographic Society headquarters, May 22-25.

The final round will be moderated for the first time by journalist and humorist Mo Rocca. The national champion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship and lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society.

The National Geographic Bee is a program of the National Geographic Society. For more information on the Bee, please visit http://www.natgeobee.org/.