For the past 32 years, Junior Scholastic®, a social studies magazine for students in grades 6-8, has brought map skills to life for middle school students nationwide with its popular geography contest. The Can You Find Mapman®? contest challenges students to correctly read a map and answer five questions to determine the location of Mapman—Junior Scholastic’s senior cartographer, Jim McMahon—and then to draw a map of that place.
This year, Mapman’s mystery location was Ireland.
The grand prize winner is Kaylee Xi, a 7th grader at the Independence School in Newark, Delaware. Kaylee’s winning map of Ireland (above) is featured in the May/June 2026 issue of Junior Scholastic and online, here.
Kaylee will receive a $250 prize and a Mapman T-shirt. Her teacher, Tina Palmer, also will receive a $250 prize. Additionally, Kaylee was a runner-up in last year’s Can You Find Mapman? contest.
More than 1,400 students from 31 states submitted entries to this year’s contest. The team selected 25 runners-up, who will all receive a Mapman T-shirt and have their names printed in the May/June 2026 issue of Junior Scholastic.
The runners-up are: Juliette Lopez Abad, Whittier, CA • Gloria Abiri, Westfield, NJ • Marvy Ayad, Johnstown, PA • Clara Baco, Buffalo, NY • Charlie Bryant, Bethany, CT • Harper Cabelka, Lawton, OK • James Carlson, Anchorage, AK • Davis Faull, Parker, CO • Blake Gage, Rangeley, ME • Robert Ginger, Lincolnshire, IL • Maya Glamocic, La Grange, IL • Andrew Gregurich, Chesterton, IN • Akansha Jagadesh, Sandy Springs, GA • Madison Kisan, Parma Heights, OH • Eleni Kounnas, Ridgefield, CT • Ryan Marsh, Cottage Grove, WI • Erin McLaughlin, Omaha, NE • Matthew Nikitiuk, Denver, PA • Sadie O’Leary, Norwood, MA • Luna O’Mahony, New Milford, NJ • Mia Papageorgiou, Hudson, NH • Anthony Pellegrino, Coral Springs, FL • Alex Schuda, La Grange, IL • Jayne Smith, Parma Heights, OH • Audrey Tchieu, Cincinnati, OH
Congratulations to Kaylee, her teacher, the runners-up, and all of this year’s participants! Keep an eye out for the next Can You Find Mapman®? contest in Junior Scholastic this fall.