The 2011 Hands-On Explorer Contest Is Now Closed – National Geographic Kids Blogs

National Geographic Society

The 2011 Hands-On Explorer Contest is now closed. No new entries will
be accepted by the judges. It’s time to wait to find out who won!

Comments

jaeyjaey2
December 3, 2010, 5:53 pm

How many contest essays did you get?
luckstomper
December 3, 2010, 8:01 pm

Hi Everyone!

Luckstomper here. Welcome JaeyJaey2! NG Kids won’t necessarily answer your question here, but I believe that they receive thousands of entries per year. A select few of those entries are ours (the fellow bloggers).

And I was waiting for this post. I was surprised they hadn’t posted it earlier. Any whom I had just been thinking about my entry, and I was just reassuring myself “This IS the year, this IS the year I will win.” It’s that confidence and belief that I believe will make or break your chances. I know I’m believing and hopeful. I just really, REALLY want to win, more than anything else! I’m sure all of us do, and I believe that it’s destine for us to win this contest and meet each other. Well that’s all for now. Talk to everyone soon

~~~~JON~~~~
(luckstomper)
Pinky Caine
December 3, 2010, 11:01 pm

cool! I am so exited to see who wins! I hope there will be a 2012 one! yay!!!!
Michigangirl14
December 4, 2010, 1:33 pm

CANT WAIT!!!!!
Hurdler23
December 4, 2010, 8:06 pm

I really hope I win this contest, I worked really hard on my essay. This is the first year I entered and I am so excited. I wish everyone the best of luck, whoever wins deserves it!
Anonymous
December 5, 2010, 8:02 am

I’m so nervous to see who wins. I entered the contest and I really want to win because I get to go on a crusie and I really want to go to Stingray island to see all of the stingrays! I just love stingrays they are so cool and slimy. I heard these stingrays are huge. Can’t wait to see who wins this year. I hope it’s me!
Anonymous
December 5, 2010, 8:07 am

Do you know when the judges are going to announce the winners of the Hands on Exploer Challenge?
shastasteph
December 5, 2010, 2:33 pm

(anonymous), the winners won’t be announced until around mid-February I believe. Check the official rules to get all the details.
Good luck to everyone! This is so exciting!
cowgirlexplorer
December 5, 2010, 8:15 pm

Welcome all the new bloggers…
I am super excited to find out who wins. I dont want to discourage my self but i personally dont think i am going to win. Not that i dont think my essay was good enough, i just NEVER win any type of contest things that you have to enter. I do pretty well in competition where you have to physically compete for something, but not contests like this. Also, if i tell my self i am going to win something never do, but if i dont think i will or are not expecting to win, things will go a lot better.
I am hoping to win (of course), but if not that, i would really like to at least get a call from the judges when they are narrowing it down from 25 to 15.
Did any one else notice that the trip isn’t as long this year?–i wish it was longer but i will take what i can get–(if anything-haha)
From the way that most of you write on the blog, i have confidence that you will all win. cant wait to see you all in person very soon-hopefully.

~Celeste~
Hurdler23
December 5, 2010, 9:40 pm

Good Luck everyone!
Skimp27
December 6, 2010, 5:47 pm

Good luck to everyones entries (mine most of all haha) Cowgirlexplorer, the trip isn’t as long this year because NatGeo is only spending $7500 per kid. If it was anymore, well that’s a big price tag. say they were spending $10000 per kid so this years winners can stay as long as 2009′s winners. Thats $150000. Also, don’t think that you can’t win. How is wanting to win going to affect the decisions of people hundreds of miles away? Luckstomper, you’re right, confidence makes or breaks us. If we have confidence while we work, that probably reflected in our work. Now that I’m done and good with my essay, I can relax. I don’t think about the HOEC that much, but when february comes around, I’ll probably be going crazy. Keep your heads up everybody. We can win, I hope we win, so who’s saying we won’t. Later.
jindo2108
December 7, 2010, 1:51 pm

I didn’t enter……… I was too absorbed with the Dogeared contest. But then I didn’t end up doing that either!!!!Grrrrrr…..hissss…….
Hopefully everyone will win…………….
In 2012, they should do it a contest for kids to go to London……SUMMER OLYMPICS!!!!!!!!!!
cowgirlexplorer
December 7, 2010, 7:50 pm

Skimp27, i know that my thoughts arent going to affect the decisions of people hundreds of miles away, but i just dont want to be expecting to win and then get let down, because that happens alot. I now my essay was good, and i know that i have a chance, i just dont want to get let down. And plus, if i am not expecting to win, and i do win, it makes he prize that much better.

~Celeste~
islandgirlstar808
December 8, 2010, 8:53 pm

i have made it…..yes….i entered hope i win!!!!!
shastasteph
December 9, 2010, 9:16 pm

jindo2108, that would be cool if the HOEC contest is in London for the summer Olympics. That would just make the trip even better. However, that would also make the trip less expensive. Anyways, it would be great to explore the natural areas and species of the UK instead of just going to the Olympics. We can watch that on TV.
cowgirlexplorer, I understand what you mean. That’s what my parents are always telling me, and it’s actually a pretty good idea. It really helps.
Skimp27
December 18, 2010, 12:15 pm

The thing about England is that once you see one part of it, you’ve seen it all. Farmland, little houses, pheasants, and a million rabbits. Also, you can get around London in a day or two. It would be awesome to see the summer olympics, but I like to watch it with my family.
islandgirlstar808
December 20, 2010, 2:18 am

Hey who entered???)?$¿¿?¿
I did!!!!!¡¡¡¡
I sooooooooooo want to win:)
and I am GOIN Tooooooooo!!!!!!
Atlest I hope I do becouse I enter EVREY NG contest
and haven’t won NONE:)
Hurdler23
December 20, 2010, 5:37 pm

islandgirlstar808~
I entered, but I don’t want to get my hopes up. I want to, but sometimes not thinking about it makes winning better
I hope for the best, and now all we can do is wait for the results. Good Luck!
Skimp27
December 20, 2010, 6:20 pm

Michigangirl, I saw that on the last blog you started this question/answer thing. I decided to do wome research and came up with a few questions of my own.
Which Island has the largest population, Little Cayman or Cayman Brac?
Who discovered the Cayman Islands?
I’ll be back sometime in the next week with answers.
Hurdler23
December 21, 2010, 3:05 pm

Skimp27~
1) Cayman Brac
2) Columbus
Its really interesting that Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands, I didn’t know that
Hurdler23
December 21, 2010, 3:12 pm

Last night at my house there was a Lunar Eclipse going on. I got up at 3 a.m. to see it, but sadly it was too cloudy
All I could see was a reddish glow coming from the clouds. Oh well, maybe next time!
islandgirlstar808
December 21, 2010, 11:26 pm

Hurdler23
yaa I know
I entered but I am not going to break down if I don’t win I know alot of other kids enered!!!!!
like u!!!
marinelife101
December 24, 2010, 11:21 pm

im a first time blogger on national geographic kids! its funny how i came across this contest……i was actually doing a collage project for art and was flipping through magazines for stuff. I saw i sea turtle on the page and immediatly was sucked in! (they are my favorite animal) and thank god i did because i’ve alwys wanted to go to the cayman islands ever since i was like 5! almost all of my friends have gone there and said it was amazing. Ad on top of all that ive wanted to be a marinebiologist for as long as i can remember! everyone knows the cayman islands are a trpical marinebiology hotspot. This trip would me sooooooooooo much to me if i won. Good luck to everyone!!!!!!
Skimp27
December 26, 2010, 5:04 pm

Great job hurdler23, you got it all correct. Cayman Brac has an estimated population of 1000 while Little Cayman has a population of 100 give or take. Christopher colombus discovered the Cayman Islands, but can anyone tell me when?
sagelover
December 28, 2010, 9:39 am

Good luck to everyone!!!!!! This is my first time entering a NG contest! I’m super excited! I’t would be so cool to meet some of you.
marinelife101
December 28, 2010, 1:59 pm

hey guys! this is my first time blogging. I entered this contest and i cant wait to see who won! its actually a funny story of how i cam across this contest. I didnt know national geographic had so many cool things to do! anyway i was flipping through a magazine at school during art to look for clips and such when i came across the add that said caymans. this immediatly caught my attention because almost all of my friends have been to the caymans and said they were beautiful! after that everything just fell into place. I’ve always wanted to be a marinebiologist so this trip would be absolutly perfect for me! good luck to all who entered!
Skimp27
January 2, 2011, 12:47 am

Hey marinelife101. Welcome to the blog. It’s great that you want to becaome a marine biologist. Any career in biology would be, in my opinion, awesome. Personally I’m a bird person. I’d like to say happy New Year. My new years resolution is to become a better writer and, of course, get fit. Later
tnrgirl
January 5, 2011, 9:18 am

this pic is cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
jindo2108
January 7, 2011, 2:40 pm

If anyone wins who blogs here, THEY HAVE TOO SAY!!!!!!!!
Promise????
sagelover
January 8, 2011, 3:51 pm

Does anyone know when they usually announce the winners? I would love to know. I am super excited!!!!!!
shastasteph
January 9, 2011, 2:55 pm

Hey everyone! I guess the commenting has been quite slow lately. I hope everyone had a great holiday and new year’s!
First of all, welcome to the blog marinelife101 and sagelover! I encourage you both to blog a little bit about yourself and especially about your explorations in nature. We would love to hear what you’ve encountered!
marinelife101, like Skimp27 said, it is really neat that you want to be a marine biologist. I remember I used to want to be one, but now I want to be a veterinarian or a zookeeper. However, my options are still pretty open. I hope you get to be that when you grow up!
sagelover, for the last Hands-On Explorer Challenge contest, the winners were announced in April. If you look at this year’s contest rules, the winners will be chosen in February 2011. Then, the winners will be contacted in early March of 2011 and finally announced probably around April 2011.
For winter break, I went to Truckee, California with my friend’s family. It was a lot of fun because we got to ski, play in the snow a lot, build a snowman, and make an igloo. The whole trip was very scenic as well. We stayed in a cabin, so there were trees all around us that were just blanketed in snow. It was beautiful! Also, one time when we were playing outside, I saw some tracks in the snow! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find my camera and couldn’t document the find. I did have my West Coast Wildlife field identification guide, and I think the tracks were made by a mule deer. Either way, it was pretty neat finding them.
jazzybirdexplorer
January 10, 2011, 8:18 pm

Hey everyone! This is jazzybirdexplorer (idk if its showing the name…) I don’t think I have posted since march!

I see the contest has closed, good luck to all who entered:) Ive entered every year and didn’t win (im too old now!), I got a postcard back with a cheetah on it from the africa entry the second year though, I dont know if they still do that though with so many entries!!

I just wanted to say whatever happens, happens for a reason! So if you don’t get in, theres gonna be something along the road waiting for you and in the late (or maybe near!) future, it will all make sense.

I remember I wanted to win more than ANYTHING I even had a little calendar going for days until they call the winners. But no luck, but it taught me some important lessons (believe it or not!) so explore your own lessons if you dont win, and appreciate it and take it all in if you do win:)

Remember, you dont have to go far to explore! Start with your own backyard/town/city!

PLEASE Don’t stop wondering, or exploring EVER.

sincerely, Jayme
jazzybirdexplorer
January 10, 2011, 8:26 pm

Ooo quick story that you guys might enjoy!

Have any of you seen the Rose Bowl parade? The one on new years day with all the floats made of flowers? Well im not going to say which band I was in (for internet safety reasons)but I traveled alllllll the way to california (Long way from where im from!)and I got to march in that parade!!!!!!

The mountains there are the biggest mountains ive EVER SEEN. It was an adventure i’ll never forget! I was with all my friends from band which made the adventure even better! (its always fun to explore with others!) I took over 400 pictures on our trip and met some really cool people!

I hope you all get a chance to travel far away someday, its a great experience! But if you cant, dont forget what awesome things you can find nearby!

Thats all for a while,
~Jayme

p.s. I imagine National Geographic must have a ton of people working for them, but my economics teacher used to work for National Geographic and I think thats pretty snazzy:) Thats what made me remember the contest and this blog haha, its a small world after all!
Hurdler23
January 12, 2011, 3:25 pm

Today my school went to Tech Wars and we won first place! there where over 500 kids there, so it was pretty cool. i was entered in the sumobots and mousetrap car. it was super exciting to win something like that. has antone here ever been to a tech wars?
jindo2108
January 18, 2011, 7:01 pm

Jazzybirdexplorer- Glad ya liked California(itz where I live,southern CA) and I agree, THE ROSE PARADE IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow! ANd you got to be in the morching band???

Must. Study!!!
Hurdler-Ive never been in Tech wars. What is it???
Hurdler23
January 19, 2011, 5:43 pm

Jindo2108-
Tech wars is a competition were schools from all over come and compete. We all build different things and go against other schools. My school has a great technology department so that probably had to do with the win. It doesn’t sound that fun but it actually is!
jindo2108
January 20, 2011, 12:20 pm

Hurdler23-Wow! That’s sooooooooooo cool!!!!!! Wish our school would do it….
Hurdler23
January 20, 2011, 5:17 pm

It was a bunch of fun! Sorry your school doesn’t do it
sagelover
January 25, 2011, 5:20 pm

Jazzybirdexplorer,
Thats so cool you got to be in the rose bowl parade! I have been to Russia and Hondouras. If anyone wants to know more about my trips just ask!!!!!
marinelife101
February 2, 2011, 7:15 pm

Hey guys!!! I expect officials from the national geographic headquarters will be calling the top 25 contestants anytime soon to be doing the final round of judging. How exciting right!? I can’t wait to see who will be getting the call! Again good luck to all who entered! Remember to keep safe from the cold! I have 2 1/2 inches of ice where i live. We were literally ice skating in the street! It was sooooooooooooo fun! Keep me posted! I could really get used to this blog thing!
marinelife101
February 3, 2011, 11:21 am

Has anyone been contacted yet? I wonder if they have already chosen the final 25
sagelover
February 5, 2011, 8:18 pm

I anyone is contacted tell us!!!!! What happens when they call you? Do they ask you questions about yourself?
bubblesdamron
February 9, 2011, 9:43 am

that picture is so aswsome!!!!!:D
hazelnut
April 5, 2011, 3:04 pm

hello, sagelover
I was one of the top-25, though I didn’t win. Yes, they asked a few questions about me. The three things they asked me about was why I chose what I did as the focus
of my essay, why I chose the particular photo, and for one example in which I was a good team member.
I was really nervous and didn’t talk as much as usually do, during my interview. I was disappointed that I didn’t make it, but if I did that good once I can do it again. And for those of you who don’t make, remember that they could only chose 25 essays. Yours was awesome, but didn’t have what they wanted. I hope everyone who entered this contest will enter next time too. You’ll never win by thinking you have no chance of winning and not entering.
Michigangirl14
April 8, 2011, 10:05 pm

i didnt win……:( im sad that this was my last year…..im 15 now so ill be to old unless they magically extend to 16….hopefully it would be a great idea

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