Carolyn Taylor of Ann Arbor earned $15,000 and a third-place finish at the 2026 National Civics Bee Championship in Washington, D.C.
Taylor competed against 51 other students on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce headquarters, according to the Michigan Advance. The 52 finalists represented all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and American Samoa in the third annual competition presented by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
The field was drawn from 20,000 entrants in 240 communities across the country, according to Michael Carney, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
Taylor wrote her qualifying essay on ways communities can support small-business owners, according to her profile on the Civic Trust website. She advanced through local and state rounds hosted by the Canton Chamber of Commerce and Michigan Chamber Foundation.
Taylor plays the harp and has participated in an international youth exchange, according to her Civic Trust profile. She has cited Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet, as an inspiration.
Her personal hero is her grandmother, Lucille T., who served as chief legal counsel to the governor of Michigan for 12 years. Taylor hopes to become a U.S. senator one day.
C-SPAN televised the championship for the first time. Actor and game show host Jerry O'Connell emceed the event, which included team presentations, a multiple-choice round, head-to-head matchups, interviews and a final buzzer round, according to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation press release.
Peter Daniell of Broomfield, Colorado, won the grand prize: a $100,000 529 education savings plan and the Bill Daniels National Civics Award. Araoluwakiitan Afolabi of St. Cloud, Florida, placed second and won $25,000.
The National Civics Bee, launched in 2023, is open for 2027 entries. Applications are due Feb. 2, 2027.
