Eighteen middle schoolers from across Colorado got the chance to show off their civics knowledge Friday at the 2025 National Civics Bee Colorado State Finals.

The annual competition is put on by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce Foundation in partnership with the Daniels Fund and the Civic Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

Parents, teachers and students all gathered at The Cable Center in Denver to see which winner will advance to the National Civics Bee competition in Washington, D.C. this November to represent Colorado.

The competition puts students’ knowledge to the test and aims to inspire them to become better informed about American democracy.

“Empowering the next generation through civic education is essential to building a stronger future for our state,” she said. “We’re proud to celebrate students who are passionate about shaping the future of our communities and strengthening our democracy through civic involvement,” said Colorado Chamber President and CEO Loren Furman.

Colorado state Sen. James Coleman gave the students some words of encouragement before the competition began.

“Civic engagement helps each of us make sure that we strengthen our voices in our community,” he said. “So, here is the good news, you don’t have to wait until you’re 18 to make a difference.”

Every one of the participating students won their local civics bees across the state before coming to Denver on Friday. Each student came prepared with an essay proposal about a civic problem of their choosing.

First, students answered two rounds of multiple-choice questions about government and history in real time on iPads. 9News anchor Kyle Clark emceed the event.

The top five students then moved on to a round of oral questioning.

In this round, students presented their solution to a problem of their choosing. Topics included road safety, access to education for immigrant children, abortion and youth in the workforce.

After their initial proposal, a panel of judges gave them questions to answer on the spot.

Second place went to Brendan Flynn of Faith Christian Academy in Arvada. Third place went to Camilla Balser of Saint Gabriel Classical Academy in Eastern Plains.

First-place winner Cameron Parker from Horizons K-8 in Boulder proposed a free emergency alert app.

He told audience members how his father was alerted to the Marshall fire by a colleague and not through an official alert.

“If not for that call, he may have been inside his house when the fires came close,” said Parker.

Parker told judges about his vision for the free app that all people would have access to, streamlining emergency communication regardless of which wireless provider an individual has.

After his big win, Parker spoke about how his history teacher, Ryan Conrad, inspired him to compete.

He said his first time in Washington, D.C. was with that very teacher on a school trip. Now, as Parker prepares to compete for the national title Nov. 10-11, he said he wants to honor Conrad.

“I want to represent Colorado, and I want to represent it well,” he said.

Throughout the process, Parker says he’s discovered that civics is a real passion of his and spoke about his curiosity in running for office someday.

“I think awareness of our government is a civic duty because our government is made up of the people,” he said.

This year civics bees were held in 40 states and 200 cities, with plans to further expand next year.

“Knowing how America works is the first step to making it work better, and that’s what these students are doing today,” said Hanna Skandera, president and CEO of Daniels Fund. “America’s future depends on informed, actively engaged citizens.”