BUCHANAN — Buchanan seventh-grader Dominic Manley has qualified for the state level competition of the National Geographic Bee.

Manley, whose parents are Derek and Stephaine, will compete against the state’s best geography students Friday, March 27 in Kalamazoo.

The winner will receive $100, the “National Geographic Atlas of the World” and a trip to the National Geographic Bee Championship in Washington, D.C.

“My goal is to get first so I can go to nationals,” said Manley. “I am looking forward to competing, having fun and just experiencing it.”

The winner of the national competition receives a $50,000 scholarship, a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society and an all expenses paid trip to the Galapagos Islands.

The state geography bee is the second level of the National Geographic Bee competition, which is now in its 27th year. Local geography bees were held throughout the state in schools with fourth through eighth grade students to determine a school champion. School champions then took a qualifying test, which was submitted to the National Geographic Society.

Manley won his school’s competition and then scored high enough on the test to advance to state.

He said a natural interest in maps and navigation helps him do well in geography.

“When we (Boy Scout Troop 541) go camping and hiking I like to use a map to know where we are even if we don’t have to — it’s nice to know where we are in case something happens,” he said.

Playing the Axis and Allies board game, which features a map of the world, also helped Manley do well on the test.

This is Manley’s first time competing at the state geography bee.