New Delhi: About 60,000 children in 120 schools across three Indian cities will participate in fun games, puzzles and brain tickling trail hunts in the search for the Airtel Nat Geo Young Explorer, it was announced here on Thursday.

"The contest is primarily targeting approximately 60,000-plus children aged between 10-14 years. The three eventual winners will walk away with branded laptops and other goodies from Airtel and National Geographic Channel," a Nat Geo release said.

Spanning Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai, "this is an initiative to identify India's bright young talents who have the curiosity and aptitude to explore the world around", the release said.

"The Airtel Nat Geo Young Explorer is someone who is articulate, curious, smart and aware about the world; in short a complete all-rounder," the release added.

The activity will cover 120 schools in total through on-ground activation. In addition, there will also be online tests available for students, who cannot be covered through the on-ground route.

"The entire initiative is a combination of fun games, puzzles and exciting yet brain tickling trail hunts where the participants will need to clear various levels before they proceed forth," the release said.

The contest will initially be conducted at the school level, with 200 of the best scorers qualifying for the city finals, at which three winners will be shortlisted. The top scorer among them will be declared the Airtel Nat Geo Young Explorer, while the other two will get second and third prizes.

The contest is an initiative "to identify kids who will be the future visionaries of the country".

"The focus is to encourage more and more students to live curious and explore beyond their immediate World - its people, animals and places. Through this unique initiative, National Geographic Channel aims to stimulate and build better interactions with every child who participates," said Keertan Adyanthaya, managing director, National Geographic Channel India & FOX International Channels.

"We believe this is a great platform that will identify, hone young talents by providing them the right exposure to real life situations and help prepare them for various challenges that life throws at them," said K. Srinivas, president Telemedia Services, Bharti Airtel.

"The campaign to identify the young explorer is well crafted and designed keeping in mind all the necessary parameters that test the knowledge and aptitude of the participating kids. It will be a great learning experience for kids, as well as their schools," Srinivas added. IANS