An Invitation to the 2016 National Finals
Spelling/Vocabulary/Math/ Science/Geography/
Essay/Public Speaking/Brain Bee
If you can’t see the contents below properly, please go to this link to view the email in html
format: http://www.northsouth.org/public/uscontests/finals/nationalfinals.aspx
Registration Schedule:
Priority List: Registration opens on May 17, 2016. Closes on May 24, 2016.
Wait List: Registration opens on May 25, 2016. Closes on May31, 2016.
Note: Deadline time is 11:59 pm EDT on the deadline date.
Children on the priority list are guaranteed a seat until May 24th, but
first come first serve afterwards!
May 15, 2016
Dear National Finals Invitee,
Congratulations on your successful participation in the regional contests conducted by North
South Foundation. On behalf of the Foundation, I am delighted to invite you to participate in the
National Finals scheduled to take place at University of South Florida, Tampa, FL during
August 20-21, 2016. Since the seats are limited, you are encouraged to register sooner than
later. For details on the Finals, go to www.northsouth.org or to the National Finals Page.
August 20, 2016: Spelling, Vocabulary, Science, Essay Writing and Public Speaking
August 21, 2016: Math, Geography and Brain Bee
Please note that the Science Bee was moved to Saturday this year.
Your invitation to the National Finals for Junior & Senior Spelling / Junior & Intermediate
Vocabulary / Math Levels 1, 2 & 3 / Junior & Senior Geography / Junior, Intermediate & Senior
Science bees is based on a cutoff value for each contest. The cutoff value was arrived at, after
considering scores from more than 13,600 contestants throughout the country. In addition to the
national cutoff, we are inviting some lower grade contestants by setting a slightly lowered cutoff
for lower grades. Please click here to view the criteria that were used to select 2016 finalists.
As we did last year, we have created two lists (1) Priority List and (2) Wait List. Initially,
registration will be open to the Priority List ONLY. Once the priority deadline expires,
registration will be open to the Wait List also. Seats will be filled up on a first come, first serve
basis until the capacity is reached. Unless paid, registration does not count and has no value.
The lists can be seen at:
Invitee List:
Priority List:
http://www.northsouth.org/public/USContests/Finals/finalists.aspx
Total List (Priority + Wait List):
http://www.northsouth.org/public/USContests/Finals/finalists_total.aspx
Criteria:
Priority List:
http://www.northsouth.org/public/USContests/Finals/selectcriteria.aspx
Total List (Priority + Wait List):
http://www.northsouth.org/public/USContests/Finals/selectcriteria_total.aspx
Essay Writing and Public Speaking
Further, even if you did not participate in the Senior Essay Writing (EW3) or Senior Public
Speaking (PS3) contests at the regional level, you are permitted to participate in the National
Finals. These two contests are open to those who are in high school.
Brain Bee
Also, if you are in grades 8th through 11th, you are encouraged to participate in our Brain Bee
competition. Please click here to see a description for the Brain Bee contest.
The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners in the Spelling, Vocabulary, Math, Science, Geography, Essay
and Public Speaking Bee National Finals will be awarded scholarships $1,000, $500, and $250
respectively. The scholarships are redeemable during the first year of your college enrollment.
There is, however, a lifetime cap of $1,000 in any contest category and $3,000 among all contest
categories combined on the total amount anyone can receive from the Foundation.
REGISTRATION:
If you are planning to attend the National Finals, please register, as soon as possible. Please do
not wait until the deadline for registration. Once the limit is reached for a given contest, the
registration will be closed for that contest(s) regardless of the deadline.
Your registration will not be considered as complete until you complete the following steps:
a) Please click here to access the registration page and to begin the registration process. We
must receive your completed registration by May 31, 2016. Once registered, no
refunds are allowed. In case you paid, but did not attend the finals, your payment may
be treated as 100% tax-deductible donation to the North South Foundation.
b) Please make the payment online using your credit card. The payment includes both
registration fees and meal charges.
c) A registration fee of $60 per contest includes one copy of Bee Book per each family.
Contestant(s) and accompanying person(s) will be charged $12 per person per day for
lunch. You will be charged for two days, if and only if the contests cover both days.
While there is no charge for children below the age of 5, we need the total count of all
attendees. So please provide the names of everyone attending. At least one parent should
accompany the contestant(s) and pay for meals. The system assumes that the entire
family enters and exits the campus at the same time. No exceptions are entertained.
Grandparents, siblings and guests can be added to the list of attendees. Meal charges will
be added for them as well. No refunds are allowed on either the registration fee or
meals.
d) After you are finished with the payment, please log back into the NSF website. You will
see “Upload photos for the Bee Book” in the menu. Please click on that link and upload a
recently scanned professional quality digital passport size color photo of the contestant(s)
with plain background. Please follow the instructions on the requirements for a quality
photo. If you have any further questions for photos, please e-mail [email protected]
Photos submitted after the registration deadline may not show up in the Bee Book
due to time constraints.
e) Once you have uploaded the photo, please logout and log back into the NSF website and
click on “View Status for National Finals” in the menu. You will be able to see a link to
download practice words (for spelling & vocabulary only), practice questions for Math,
Science and Geography Bee for National Finals, and sample topics for EW3/PS3. Please
keep in mind the practice problems for Math, Science and Geography are meant for
guidance only! Please right click on these links and choose “save target as” to download
the file. You should save the file on your hard disk before opening it.
2016 NATIONAL FINALS SCHEDULE
Venue: University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Date: Contests will be held on August 20-21, 2016
Note: Information on schedules, airline reservations, car rentals and hotels are being
updated or will be updated soon. Please visit the links periodically for the updates. In the
interest of time, we are opening for registration now.
Please click on Schedule - 2016 Finals to access contests schedule. NSF 2016 Finals Committee
reserves the right to modify the published schedule without notice for logistical or other reasons.
However, any major schedule changes will be communicated via email to registered contestants.
Unlike the regional contests, some of the contests at the National Finals will be done in a slightly
different format. Please visit the following link for the rules 2016 National Finals Contest rules.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS:
We have arranged special rates with Alliance Reservations Network, which will hold rooms at
the rates quoted on first come first served basis. Please click on Hotels for 2016 Finals for further
information. Alternatively, click here to directly make a reservation. Instructions: a) View all
the hotels, b) Select a hotel and Click “View Rates” (Above Special Event rates), c) Click “See
Room Details”, d) Fill out Steps 1, 2 & 3, e) Click “Confirm Reservation” and f) Reservation is
made – Confirmation number is given.
Please note that neither the Foundation nor its volunteers are responsible for any of your hotel
expenses. If you are staying with a friend or a relative, please e-mail us with the local contact
information to [email protected] as soon as possible. This is needed to intimate any last
minute changes to the program.
TRAVEL:
American Airlines and Delta Airlines are offering special discounts to fly for the National Finals.
Please click on Airlines for 2016 Finals for details. Make sure you use the CODE to get
discounted airfare.
Details on car rental discounts are also included here Car Rental for 2016 Finals.
You are responsible for making your own travel arrangements. Please click on Driving
Directions for directions to the University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.
Finally, I would like to emphasize that in these contests, every participant is a winner. These
contests are meant to provide you ways to improve and assess your skills in spelling, vocabulary,
math, science, geography, essay writing and public speaking as well as your knowledge about
our brain in a challenging environment, but also to enhance your performance at school and in
life. Additionally, you will be able to meet and interact with several talented kids like yourself.
Looking forward to seeing you during August 20-21, 2016 at University of South Florida,
Tampa, FL.
PLEASE VISIT NSF’s National Finals Page FREQUENLY TO LEARN THE LATEST
INFORMATION ON THE FINALS.
Best of luck!
Dr. Raj Jayachandran, Ph.D.
On behalf of NSF National Team