FARMINGTON — Cole Dobbie, a fourth-grade student at Cascade Brook School in Farmington, is eligible to compete in the 2017 Maine National Geographic State Bee. The contest will be held at the University of Maine at Farmington on Friday, March 31.

One hundred students from 50 states, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense Dependants Schools, and U.S. territories were invited to compete in the state bees.

Each state winner will receive $100, the National Geographic Concise Atlas of the World, 4th Edition, and a trip to Washington, D.C., to represent their state in the National Geographic Bee Championship. The championship will be held at the National Geographic Society headquarters, May 14-17. The national champion will receive a $50,000 college scholarship, a lifetime membership in the Society, a subscription to National Geographic magazine, and an all-expenses paid Lindblad expedition to the Galápagos Islands aboard the new National Geographic Endeavour ll.

The National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo WILD will air the 2017 National Geographic Bee Championship, moderated by journalist and humorist Mo Rocca, at 8 p.m. Friday, May 19. Public television stations will broadcast the final round at a later date.

FMI: www.natgeobee.org.