LAKE PARK — Twelve year-old Bryceson Harvey of Lake Park, Georgia used his imagination, research skills and artistic gifts to win the 14th annual “Can You Find the Mapman?” Contest. Bryceson is the first homeschooler to ever win the grand prize. Junior Scholastic, the social studies and current events magazine for students in grades 6-8, sponsors the nationwide contest, which drew about 6,000 entries this year.

Scholastic’s resident cartographer, Jim McMahon (a.k.a. Mapman) created the contest to draw on the map-reading skills students have learned throughout the year, from recognizing elevations and locating cities using latitude and longitude, to understanding time zones and measuring distances with a scale of miles or kilometers.  This year students found him in the country of Vietnam, but it was Bryceson’s attention to cultural detail that impressed McMahon:

“Bryceson’s map won because it captured the colors, fabrics, and textures that one sees in Vietnam,” said the Mapman. “The jade-colored paper on which he chose to draw his map has the same sheen you see on the silk gowns worn by many Vietnamese women.  Plus, he flanked the map with intricate illustrations of Halong Bay, a three-striped box turtle and a woman planting rice, to name just a few.”

Bryceson, who has been homeschooled by his mother Suzanne since fourth grade, says a trip to the local library inspired him to enter the contest—and gave him lots of information with which to work. “I really loved doing the artwork with parchment paper and the special paper I picked out with flowers on it,” said Bryceson. “I learned how the history of Vietnam is part of our past, and I concentrated on natural history and culture. I read several books on Vietnam.”

To participate, students were required to trace the Mapman’s route to the undisclosed destination by answering eight questions that would stump many adults. To qualify for a prize, kids had to answer all of the questions correctly and draw a map of the area. The grand prize winner and runners-up were selected based on their maps’ cartographic accuracy and creativity, including design and color treatment. Bryceson won the grand prize of a $500 U.S. Savings Bond, a Mapman T-shirt, and an electronic handheld sudoku puzzle game. Twenty-five runners up from schools nationwide will also receive a Mapman T-shirt and the sudoku game.