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  "description": "The winners chosen from four regional competitions will meet June 11 at Augustana University. ",
  "path": "/south-dakota-state-civics-bee-2026/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-22T11:06:34.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.sdnewswatch.org",
  "tags": [
    "Subscribe",
    "Sioux Falls 5th grader wins South Dakota State Spelling Bee11-year-old is headed to the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington after nailing “arrearage.”South Dakota News WatchCarson Walker",
    "Registration is recommended",
    "requirement that students be proficient in civics",
    "Higher Education Civic Engagement Award",
    "six public universities",
    "Dakota Dialogues podcast",
    "Center for Civic Engagement",
    "on civics and its relationship to news and information",
    "South Dakota voter guide",
    "SDPB's YouTube channel",
    "Donate",
    "Share your thoughts on this story",
    "sdnewswatch.org"
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  "textContent": "Eleven 6th to 8th grade students will compete in the South Dakota State Civics Bee on Thursday, June 11, at Augustana University in Sioux Falls for a chance to advance to the national bee later this year.\n\nThey earned their place through four regional competitions held this spring. It's the second year the state has hosted the bee, which is organized by the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry.\n\n****Get South Dakota news and information**** in a free email on weekdays. Cancel any time.\n\n\n                            Subscribe\n                        \n\nThe bee is designed to inspire middle school students to engage in civics, contribute to their communities and better understand American democracy.\n\nDan Kirby, a Sioux Falls businessman and philanthropist, urged the Chamber to bring the competition to the state because of his service on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation board.\n\n\"It's their baby. They invented it out of a realization that our civics education and civics knowledge is slipping greatly in most recent generations,\" he said. \"We have more and more voters that really don't understand the structure of the American government, so their expectations are often at great variance from what our system is set up to do.\"\n\n## Venhuizen, Crabtree among the judges\n\nThe 11 finalists from the four regional tournaments who will compete:\n\n  * Brookings: Rachel E., Jay K. and Moustafa S.\n  * Elevate (Rapid City): Kaylin M. and Imogen G.\n  * Dakota Valley (southeast): Ruth A., Grace R. and Maddie P.\n  * Sioux Falls: Elliott F., Samuel D. and Chloe D.\n\n\n\nThe 90-minute state bee starts at 10 a.m. June 11 in Augustana's Hamre Recital Hall in three rounds, said Ali Gabriel, vice president of development at the state Chamber.\n\nThe first two rounds will be timed multiple choice questions on tablets, with the answers projected on a big screen for the audience to see. The top five students will then meet in the final round and be questioned by five judges about essays they wrote ahead of time.\n\nLt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen and state Sen. Casey Crabtree will both speak during the bee, which will be emceed by Tyler Tordsen, CEO of Sioux Metro Growth Alliance.\n\nJudges include Venhuizen, attorney John Archer, state historian Ben Jones, Minnehaha County Commissioner Joe Kippley and Eric Jepsen, chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of South Dakota.\n\nSioux Falls 5th grader wins South Dakota State Spelling Bee11-year-old is headed to the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington after nailing “arrearage.”South Dakota News WatchCarson Walker\n\nPrizes are $1,000 for first place, $500 for second and $250 for third. The winner will advance to the National Civics Bee this fall in Washington.\n\nThe state bee is free and open to the public. Registration is recommended but not required. There will be light refreshments afterward.\n\nUSD and the Chiesman Center for Democracy are the title sponsors. Other sponsors include Dan and Arlene Kirby, Bluestem Capital Partners, First Premier Bank and Premier Bankcard, Gabriel said.\n\n\"The reason civics is important for children is political socialization starts very early,\" said Julia Hellwege, associate professor in political science and director of the Chiesman Center. \"The more you are engaged as a child, the more civically engaged you will become as an adult. Investing in our democracy means investing in our children.\"\n\nIf people understand governmental processes and get involved, they're more apt to believe their voice counts, she said. \"We understand our role and not just that these things are happening to us.\"\n\n## Other civics-related efforts\n\nThe state civics bee is one of several ongoing efforts to educate and engage young people and adults alike in the basics of civics and the role it plays in society and government. Here are some of the others.\n\n### Higher education\n\nThis was the first school year with a South Dakota Board of Regents requirement that students be proficient in civics before graduation.\n\nTo complement those required classes, the Chiesman Center sponsored the Higher Education Civic Engagement Award that entails teams of two to five students from the six public universities doing civic engagement projects, with a top prize of $500 per student.\n\nThis year’s award was granted to a team of USD students: Rejoice Kunadu Adawuvi, Simon Durr, Irene Kamau and Faith Nderitu.\n\nWinners of the Higher Education Civic Engagement Award. (Photo: Jon Beringer)\n\nOther Chiesman efforts include the student-led Dakota Dialogues podcast focusing on civic education\n\nAdditionally, Black Hills State University in Spearfish launched the Center for Civic Engagement in 2024 to provide undergraduate students with civics training.\n\n### '250+ years of American civics and news'\n\nSouth Dakota News Watch partners with Chiesman, SDPB, the Mike Huether Public Service Academy at South Dakota State University and the League of Women Voters of South Dakota to hold interactive community gatherings on civics and its relationship to news and information.\n\nIt has been in Yankton, Rapid City, Pierre and Brookings, and is coming to Vermillion, Watertown, Sioux Falls and the Black Hills Playhouse.\n\n### South Dakota voter guide\n\nNews Watch is again updating its South Dakota voter guide to clearly explain the process of registering to vote and what's on the ballot this year.\n\n### Election law training\n\nAs part of its biannual training for journalists sponsored by News Watch, SDPB and the South Dakota Bar Foundation, a national election expert led a free virtual session May 8 on the 2020 election and some new and proposed laws.\n\nDavid Becker, founder and executive director of the nonpartisan nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research, was joined by David Bordewyk, executive director of the South Dakota NewsMedia Association, and Justin G. Smith, a Sioux Falls lawyer and legislative lobbyist. Watch the hourlong presentation on SDPB's YouTube channel.\n\n****Trusted, independent sources of information are needed more than ever. Partner with us to produce fact-based news.****\n\n\n                            Donate\n                        \n\nShare your thoughts on this story\n\n_**South Dakota News Watch** is an independent nonprofit. Read, donate and subscribe for free at _sdnewswatch.org_.**Contact CEO Carson Walker:** 605-610-9366/__carson.walker@sdnewswatch.org_ _._",
  "title": "11 middle schoolers to compete in state civics bee",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-22T11:50:24.474Z"
}