Akhil Rekulapelli, of Sterling, Virginia, finished fourth in last year’s bee. This year, the 14-year-old answered all three questions right in a one-on-one showdown with the youngest of the 10 finalists, 11-year-old Ameya Mujumdar of Tampa, Florida.

The decisive question: What African country is building a new capital called Oyala in the rain forest, 65 miles east of Bata? The answer: Equatorial Guinea.

Akhil receives a $50,000 scholarship, a trip to the Galapagos Islands with his family and a lifetime membership in the National Geographic Society.

Akhil says he aspires to become a surgeon. He says winning the bee is his greatest accomplishment so far.

Chinmay Patil a 12-year-old 6th grader at California Trail Middle School in Olathe represented Kansas.