The National Geographic Bee occurs in three stages, beginning at the school level. Schools that register for the Bee receive materials to hold their competitions. Each school winner takes a written test, and the top hundred scorers in each state and territory compete at the state level. State-level Bees are held in the spring, and the winner of each state Bee proceeds to the national competition. The 55 state and territory winners meet at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C., for the national competition. The number of contestants is narrowed to ten finalists, who compete for a $25,000 college scholarship. The second- and third-place winners receive $15,000 and $10,000 scholarships, respectively. Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek moderates the final competition.