The Scripps National Spelling Bee, a longstanding tradition celebrating linguistic excellence, has returned to Washington D.C. this year. The event is being held at Constitution Hall, just a stone’s throw from the White House, marking a return to the nation’s capital after years at a suburban Maryland convention center.
This year’s competition, the 98th since its inception in 1925, features 247 young spellers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, three U.S. territories, and five other countries, including The Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates. The event, which was paused during World War II and the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to be a beacon of academic achievement.
How to Watch
The bee is accessible to audiences nationwide through various Scripps-owned channels. Preliminary rounds are streamed on Scripps Sports Network and spellingbee.com, while the semifinals and finals are available on ION and other platforms such as ION Plus, Bounce, and Grit.
Competition Rules
Participants qualify by advancing through regional bees and must be under 15 years old and not beyond eighth grade. The competition includes multiple rounds: initial spelling and vocabulary rounds, followed by a written test for the top 100 or so spellers. The words are sourced from the Merriam-Webster Unabridged dictionary, and a lightning-round tiebreaker, known as a ‘spell-off,’ may be used to determine the champion.
Notable Competitors
Among the notable competitors is Sarv Dharavane from Dunwoody, Georgia, who finished third last year. Other strong contenders include Shrey Parikh from Rancho Cucamonga, California, who has excelled in various spelling competitions, and Oliver Halkett from Los Angeles, and Esha Marupudi from Chandler, Arizona, both of whom tied for seventh place last year.
Prizes
The champion will receive over $50,000 in cash and prizes, including a custom trophy and reference works from Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster. The runner-up and other top finishers will also receive substantial cash prizes.
Original reporting: WQAD (Quad Cities) — read the source article.
