Story Published: May 15, 2008 at 12:33 PM PST
Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 6:51 PM PST
National Geographic Kids is sponsoring 15 students ages 8-14 to explore the Outback for two weeks. The "Hands-On Explorer Teacher Challenge" is put on every year by the organization.
Jenifer Junior High student, 13-year-old Abbie Olson, first heard about the contest in the summer of 2006, when she and a neighbor spotted a mule deer in a canyon near her home.
"I wanted it so much I made tracks and sent in like three pictures," said Abbie. "I guess the best way to lose something was to want it too much, and I didn't get farther than entering it."
When National Geographic took entries for this year, Abbie says she wrote a little more for her essay, sent in one picture, and really didn't give it a second thought, as thousands of kids her age were doing the same.
"I remember during spring break I got a call," said Abbie. "I was just watching Spongebob - and I got a call from her. Catherine Hughes is the science editor of the magazine. And I got got a call from her and she said I was in the top 25."
The 25 eventually became a list of 15, and Abbie's picture and an excerpt from her essay are now on the magazine's website. Abbie says her mom was as excited as she was, because now both get an all-expense paid trip down under that sounds more like a dream vacation.
"We are going to the Daintree Rain Forest, which is 135 million years old. It's the oldest rain forest in the world. We also get to help with this fundraiser for Tasmania, which we're going to. We also get to go exploring, we get to take a ride an look at koalas an kangaroos, and the five top mammals. And then we also get to go to the Great Barrier Reef."
Abbie is one of three from the Northwest, and the only student from Idaho who'll be going. She'll leave for the 12-day trip on July 16th.
"I'm so excited, and my birthday's going to be during the trip, which will be awesome," said Abbie "We're going to meet aborigine people."
For more information on the contest, or the read an excerpt from Abbie's essay, you can go to www.kids.nationalgeographic.com.
