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Colorado Student Wins National Civics Bee Championship, Takes Home $100,000 Bill Daniels National Civics Award

Peter Daniell of Stargate Charter School tops 52 finalists from across America in nationally televised competition

DENVER, October 15, 2026– Peter Daniell, a middle school student at Stargate Charter School and Broomfield resident who won Colorado’s 2026 National Civics Bee State Finals, captured the national championship Wednesday evening in Washington, D.C., earning the $100,000 Bill Daniels National Civics Award.

The Daniels Fund is the Founding Partner of the National Civics Bee.

Daniell emerged victorious from a field of 52 state and jurisdictional champions representing all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and American Samoa. The nationally televised competition, hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, tested students’ knowledge of American government, the Constitution and their ability to address real-world challenges facing their communities.

“Peter has made our entire state proud, and what a thrilling victory for a remarkable young American,” said Hanna Skandera Grady, CEO and President of the Daniels Fund. “He represents everything we love about the National Civics Bee: curiosity, hard work, a passion for our country and the courage to step up and lead. Bill Daniels believed deeply in the promise of young people, and Peter is living proof that America’s future is in great hands.”

Daniell earned his place at the national championship after winning the Colorado State Finals in July, hosted by the Colorado Chamber of Commerce Foundation in partnership with the Daniels Fund, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and El Pomar Foundation. The state competition featured 26 middle school students from across Colorado.

The 2026 National Civics Bee was the largest in the program’s history, drawing approximately 20,000 student participants from 240 communities nationwide. The championship, broadcast live on C-SPAN, marked the culmination of local, regional and state competitions designed to inspire a new generation of informed and engaged Americans.

The competition is central to the Daniels Fund’s “Big Bet” of helping one million young Americans develop a deeper understanding of their rights, responsibilities and the principles on which the United States was founded.

Daniell’s national victory comes during a particularly meaningful year as the country celebrates America’s 250th anniversary and Colorado marks 150 years of statehood.

“There’s something especially fitting about a Colorado student winning the national championship as we celebrate these historic milestones,” Skandera Grady added. “The best way to honor America’s founding is to prepare the next generation to carry its promise forward. That’s exactly what Peter and thousands of students across the country are doing.”

 

ABOUT THE DANIELS FUND

Established in 2000 by cable television pioneer Bill Daniels, the Daniels Fund supports nonprofit organizations and provides scholarships in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Visit DanielsFund.org to learn more.

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