CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) — The Champaign County Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2026 National Civics Bee at Parkland College on Saturday, May 9, bringing together middle school students from across the region to compete in a test of civic knowledge and critical thinking.
Organized in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the annual nonpartisan competition encourages young Americans to become informed and engaged participants in democracy. Students in grades 6 through 8 first competed in an essay round, identifying real community issues and proposing solutions. Twenty finalists were selected to advance to the live regional competition in Champaign, where they participated in two rounds of civics questions followed by a live Q&A before a panel of judges.
The top three finishers were David W. in first place, Stuthi S. in second, and Lila F. in third. The top finalists will advance to the state National Civics Bee competition in Springfield on July 31.
Judges included Anna Benjamin, a shareholder attorney at Meyer Capel and retired Champaign County Associate Judge; Sue Grey, retired president and CEO of United Way of Champaign County; and Dalitso S. Sulamoyo, CEO of the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission.