US Contests : General Information
The educational contests in the U.S. were developed and nurtured by Dr. Murali Gavini since 1993. Over the years, these contests have helped to challenge the North South Foundation children to do their best academically and it has ultimately helped them to get admission to the top-ranking schools.
These contests are open to children of Indian American origin. Based on the contest category, the contests are grouped into Junior, Intermediate or Senior levels for children from first through twelfth grade. The contests are conducted every year in two steps. First, children participate in Regional Contests held at various locations throughout the country during the months of March through May. Participants with high scores, based on a cut-off, will be invited to the National Finals to be held in August-September. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from a given contest are awarded scholarships of $1,000, $500, and $250 respectively, redeemable in the winners' freshman year of college. The grade eligibility is determined as of February 1. Younger children are encouraged to participate, on equal basis, solely with the aim of familiarizing them with the contest.
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Some of the benefits of these contests are:
- Feeling a sense of accomplishment
- Building self-confidence and self-esteem
- Learning new concepts
- Meeting other children and making new friends in our community
- Interacting with a group
- Improving communication skills
- Improving listening skills
- Developing discipline
- Recognizing that hard work leads to success more so than just innate intelligence
- Setting goals and meeting them
- Competing against one’s own ability, not against others
- Realizing that practice makes one perfect
The Spelling bee is for children in grades 1-8 and is split into Junior and Senior category.
The Vocabulary contest is a word-meaning contest (in multiple-choice format) for children in grades 1 – 8 and is split into Junior and Intermediate category.
The Math Bee is aimed at nurturing mathematical skills among children in grades 1 - 8 and is split into 3 levels.
The Geography Bee contest helps children in preparing for the National Geographic Bee, which is an annual nation wide competition for US schools. Geography Bee is split into 2 levels based on grade.
The Science Bee contest is aimed at nurturing the interest and understanding of Science among children in grades 1 through 8 and is split into 3 levels based on grade.
The Essay Writing Contest was started in line with the “timed writing” component of current standardized tests designed to foster good writing skills in today’s youth. Essay Writing Bee is split into 3 levels based on grade.
The Public Speaking competition brings out the ability to think quickly, speak persuasively and present well-connected ideas while presenting them in a coherent fashion. Public Speaking Bee is split into 2 levels based on grade.
The Brain Bee is a competition about the neuroscience for middle and high school students. The best young brains in our country are quizzed about the brain and how it relates to intelligence, memory, emotions, sensations, movement, stress, aging, sleep, and brain disorders such as drug addiction, Alzheimer's and stroke. The brain bee is an attempt to motivate our youth to learn about the brain, capture their imagination, and inspire them to pursue careers in biomedical research on brain. Brain Bee is only offered at the National Finals for children in grades 8 and above.