Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Texas Citizen Bee?
The Texas Citizen Bee is a statewide civic education program and competition with two levels. First, registered students participate in one of twenty regional competitions. (Refer to the map on the registration page to identify your school’s region and to register for the correct competition.) Second, winners from each regional contest advance to the State Citizen Bee contest held in Austin. Students prepare for both levels using a Study Guide for the current year available on the Citizen Bee website.

Is the competition open to all types of schools?
All public, private, home, and parochial schools are welcome to participate. However, students can only participate in the regional competition where their school is located.

What grade levels are eligible to participate?
Grades 9-12

Where can I find out details about the regional competition?
The Citizen Bee website has details on the competition, including the Rules. The regional coordinator will share specific guidelines for the individual regional competitions.  

What are the prizes at the Regional Competition?
1st Place—$250 gift card—Qualifies for the State Citizen Bee in Austin. On the Friday before the state competition, students, parents, and teachers will participate in a “Capitol Experience” where they will enjoy speakers and tours of the Capitol complex.

2nd Place–$100 gift card
3rd Place–$50 gift card

What are the prizes at the state-level competition?
Students:
1st Place–$5000
2nd Place–$2500
3rd Place–$1000

Sponsor Awards:
1st Place–$1000
2nd Place–$750
3rd Place–$500

What do I study for the Citizen Bee?
The website contains the content that will be tested, except for the current events section.  We have provided dates and topics for this competition section in the Rules and Procedures given when a student registers.

Can I use a PDF study guide from a previous year to study?
No, please destroy all copies of the old PDF guide as the content is reorganized, and new content may be added. The revised guide will be available on the website by September 1.

Who can act as a student’s sponsor?
A teacher, principal, librarian, parent, or guardian can be the sponsor if he/she actively participates in helping the student prepare for the competition.   

Does each student have to have a monitor?
If any part of the competition is virtual, each student must have an adult actively monitoring and visible on camera throughout the competition. The monitor can supervise more than one student if they can walk from student to student and remain on the camera. A parent or guardian should not serve as the monitor. Therefore, if a participating student is homeschooled, we ask that the parent find a non-relative adult to serve as the monitor.  

How do I register for a regional competition?
Registration for the competition must be completed by a teacher, parent, or guardian.  The sponsor will go to the Regional Registration Chart to find the Google link for your respective region.  Additionally, one can find the regional coordinator’s name and email if there are additional questions needing to be answered about the competition.  Once the teacher/sponsor has registered, the teacher/sponsor will receive a registration link for the students to register from the coordinator.

How many students can one teacher/sponsor register for the regional contest?
There is no limit. 

What do I do if I need help registering my student?
Please contact Kim Boen, State Citizen Bee Coordinator, at txcitizenbee@gmail.com  for assistance.

Can I compete this year if I have competed in prior years?
Yes, you can!

If I win my Regional Competition, what’s next?
Each regional winner will advance to the state competition. 

Who funds the Texas Citizen Bee Competition?
Law Focused Education, Inc. receives funding from the Sumners Foundation to administer the Texas Citizen Bee in Texas. The website is maintained by Law Focused Education, Inc. and the State Bar of Texas Law-Related Education Department.

Who can I contact if I find factual errors in the Texas Citizen Bee Study Guide?
Challenges concerning the accuracy of any material in The Texas Citizen Bee Study Guide must be filed in writing with the State Bar of Texas, Law-Related Education Department by emailing Jan Miller at jmiller@texasbar.com by January 15 of the year of the competition.