The 1st National Geographic Bee was held in Washington, D.C., on May 19, 1989, sponsored by the National Geographic Society.
The final competition was moderated by Jeopardy!
[1] The winner was Jack Staddon of Great Bend Seventh-day Adventist Elementary School in Great Bend, Kansas, who won a $25,000 college scholarship.
[2][3] The 2nd-place winner, Michael Shannon of Reading, Massachusetts, won a $15,000 scholarship.
The 3rd-place winner, Kieu Luu of Riverdale, Maryland, won a $10,000 scholarship.