Four talented students from North Texas have successfully advanced to the quarterfinals of the prestigious 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee, held in Washington, D.C. These young scholars have demonstrated exceptional spelling skills, moving past the preliminary stage of this renowned national competition.

The 98th edition of the Scripps National Spelling Bee commenced on Tuesday and will continue through Thursday at Constitution Hall. This year, the competition features 247 spellers from across the United States and beyond, including participants from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Department of Defense schools in Europe. Additionally, students from five countries outside the U.S.—the Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates—are also competing.

Local Students Shine

The North Texas students who have advanced to the quarterfinals range in age from 12 to 14 and represent schools in DeSoto, Prosper, Coppell, and Burleson. The accomplished spellers include Benjamin Pearson, a seventh grader at the Katherine Johnson Technology Magnet Academy in DeSoto; Avishka Dudala, an eighth grader at Rogers Middle School in Prosper; Krish Manjunath, an eighth grader at Coppell Middle School East in Coppell; and Luke Sturlin, an eighth grader at Kerr Middle School in Burleson.

Although Ridhaan Bhattarai, a 10-year-old fifth-grader from the Harmony School of Innovation in Euless, participated in the national competition, he was eliminated during the third round of the preliminaries, which included a written spelling test. The preliminary competition narrowed the field to 95 contestants who will compete in the quarterfinals.

Competition Schedule

The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds are scheduled for Wednesday, with the championship finals taking place on Thursday night. Last year’s winner, Faizan Zaki, a Plano ISD student from Allen, took home the $50,000 grand prize after correctly spelling the word “éclaircissement.”

Original reporting: The Dallas Express — read the source article.