Latest news with #LouisvilleCourier-Journal
The Age
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
One 15-letter word stood between Faizan and the title of best speller in the English language. He nailed it
But Sarv misspelled again, followed in the next round by Sarvadnya, and Faizan stayed just calm enough to ensure his competitors wouldn't get back to the microphone. It was a riveting conclusion to a competition that started in 1925 and appears to have a bright future. Scripps, a Cincinnati-based media company, had a few dozen former champions on hand to celebrate the centennial of an event that began when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited other newspapers to host spelling bees and send their champions to Washington. Faizan lost to Bruhat Soma last year in a tiebreaker known as a 'spell-off'. He became only the fifth runner-up to come back and win and the first since Sean Conley in 2001. With the winner's haul of $US52,500 ($81,700) added to his second-place prize of $US25,000, Faizan increased his bee earnings to $US77,500. His big splurge with his winnings last year? A $US1500 Rubik's cube with 21 squares on each side. This is the last year the bee will be held at its home for the past 14 years, a convention centre just outside Washington on the banks of the Potomac River. In 2026, the competition returns to the nation's capital at Constitution Hall, a nearly century-old concert venue near the White House. Other finalists – Aishwarya Kallakuri, a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Concord, North Carolina, and winner of the SpellPundit National Spelling Bee. – Harini Murali, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Edison, New Jersey, a finalist last year and the younger sister of Navneeth Murali, who would have been a top contender in the 2020 bee had it not been cancelled because of COVID-19. –Esha Marupudi, a 13-year-old seventh-grader from Chandler, Arizona, who is competing at the bee for the first time. –Oliver Halkett, a 13-year-old seventh-grader from Los Angeles and a two-time bee participant. –Sarvadnya Kadam, a three-time speller and a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Visalia, California. –Sarv Dharavane, an 11-year-old from Dunwoody, Georgia, who made the semifinals last year as a fourth-grader. –Brian Liu, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Great Neck, New York, who was a semifinalist two years ago but didn't make it to the bee in 2024. –Akshaj Somisetty, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and a two-time speller who leapt from quarterfinalist to finalist.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
One 15-letter word stood between Faizan and the title of best speller in the English language. He nailed it
But Sarv misspelled again, followed in the next round by Sarvadnya, and Faizan stayed just calm enough to ensure his competitors wouldn't get back to the microphone. It was a riveting conclusion to a competition that started in 1925 and appears to have a bright future. Scripps, a Cincinnati-based media company, had a few dozen former champions on hand to celebrate the centennial of an event that began when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited other newspapers to host spelling bees and send their champions to Washington. Faizan lost to Bruhat Soma last year in a tiebreaker known as a 'spell-off'. He became only the fifth runner-up to come back and win and the first since Sean Conley in 2001. With the winner's haul of $US52,500 ($81,700) added to his second-place prize of $US25,000, Faizan increased his bee earnings to $US77,500. His big splurge with his winnings last year? A $US1500 Rubik's cube with 21 squares on each side. This is the last year the bee will be held at its home for the past 14 years, a convention centre just outside Washington on the banks of the Potomac River. In 2026, the competition returns to the nation's capital at Constitution Hall, a nearly century-old concert venue near the White House. Other finalists – Aishwarya Kallakuri, a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Concord, North Carolina, and winner of the SpellPundit National Spelling Bee. – Harini Murali, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Edison, New Jersey, a finalist last year and the younger sister of Navneeth Murali, who would have been a top contender in the 2020 bee had it not been cancelled because of COVID-19. –Esha Marupudi, a 13-year-old seventh-grader from Chandler, Arizona, who is competing at the bee for the first time. –Oliver Halkett, a 13-year-old seventh-grader from Los Angeles and a two-time bee participant. –Sarvadnya Kadam, a three-time speller and a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Visalia, California. –Sarv Dharavane, an 11-year-old from Dunwoody, Georgia, who made the semifinals last year as a fourth-grader. –Brian Liu, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Great Neck, New York, who was a semifinalist two years ago but didn't make it to the bee in 2024. –Akshaj Somisetty, a 13-year-old eighth-grader from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and a two-time speller who leapt from quarterfinalist to finalist.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Faizan Zaki wins the Scripps National Spelling Bee a year after finishing runner-up
OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — Faizan Zaki nearly threw away his opportunity to go from runner-up to champion at the Scripps National Spelling Bee with a shocking moment of overconfidence. Given a second chance, he seized the title of best speller in the English language. The 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, who lost in a lightning-round tiebreaker last year, outlasted eight other accomplished spellers to win the title on Thursday night, including two that he let back into the competition after his own careless flub. Told to take a deep breath before his final word, 'eclaircissement,' he didn't ask a single question before spelling it correctly, and he pumped his fists and collapsed to the stage after saying the final letter. Two rounds earlier, Sarvadnya Kadam and Sarv Dharavane misspelled their words, clearing a path for Faizan, but instead of making sure he knew the word, 'commelina,' Faizan let his showmanship get the better of him. 'K-A-M,' he said, then stopped himself. 'OK, let me do this. Oh, shoot!' 'Just ring the bell,' he told head judge Mary Brooks, who obliged. 'So now you know what happens,' Brooks said, and the other two spellers returned to the stage. Upon his return to the microphone, Sarv chimed in: 'This is surprising!' But Sarv misspelled again, followed in the next round by Sarvadnya, and Faizan stayed just calm enough to ensure his competitors wouldn't get back to the microphone. It was a riveting conclusion to a competition that started in 1925 and appears to have a bright future. Scripps, a Cincinnati-based media company, had a few dozen former champions on hand to celebrate the centennial of an event that began when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited other newspapers to host spelling bees and send their champions to Washington. Faizan lost to Bruhat Soma last year in a tiebreaker known as a 'spell-off.' He became only the fifth runner-up to come back and win and the first since since Sean Conley in 2001. With the winner's haul of $52,500 added to his second-place prize of $25,000, Faizan increased his bee earnings to $77,500. His big splurge with his winnings last year? A $1,500 Rubik's cube with 21 squares on each side. This is the last year the bee will be held at its home for the past 14 years, a convention center just outside Washington on the banks of the Potomac River. In 2026, the competition returns to the nation's capital at Constitution Hall, a nearly century-old concert venue near the White House. ___ Ben Nuckols has covered the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2012. Follow his work here.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Quiz: These words helped crown National Spelling Bee champions. Can you spell them?
The nation's best young spellers have gathered in Maryland this week for the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. A total of 243 children between the ages of 8 and 14 are competing to be the last one standing as they try to survive round after round by correctly constructing some of the English language's most confounding words. The winner receives $50,000 and the prestige of being America's best speller. The national spelling bee was first held in 1925 when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited spelling champions from around the country to gather in Washington, D.C., to find a national champion. There were just nine participants that year. The winner was 11-year-old Frank Neuhauser, who won by correctly spelling 'gladiolus' — the name of a flower in the iris family — in the final round. Since those early days, the competition has exploded in size and popularity. Every year, millions of people tune in to marvel at the extraordinary skill these young people display, sharing in all of their joy and heartbreak along the way. The words have also gotten more challenging over time. In the early days, children could win by spelling words as familiar as 'knack' and 'fracas.' More recent champions have sealed their victories by navigating words like 'stichomythia' and 'scherenschnitte.' For a window into just how difficult the contest has become, we put together a quiz of the winning words from the past eight Scripps National Spelling Bees. How many can you get right? Photos: Getty Images
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Quiz: These words helped crown National Spelling Bee champions. Can you spell them?
The nation's best young spellers have gathered in Maryland this week for the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. A total of 243 children between the ages of 8 and 14 are competing to be the last one standing as they try to survive round after round by correctly constructing some of the English language's most confounding words. The winner receives $50,000 and the prestige of being America's best speller. The national spelling bee was first held in 1925 when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited spelling champions from around the country to gather in Washington, D.C., to find a national champion. There were just nine participants that year. The winner was 11-year-old Frank Neuhauser, who won by correctly spelling 'gladiolus' — the name of a flower in the iris family — in the final round. Since those early days, the competition has exploded in size and popularity. Every year, millions of people tune in to marvel at the extraordinary skill these young people display, sharing in all of their joy and heartbreak along the way. The words have also gotten more challenging over time. In the early days, children could win by spelling words as familiar as 'knack' and 'fracas.' More recent champions have sealed their victories by navigating words like 'stichomythia' and 'scherenschnitte.' For a window into just how difficult the contest has become, we put together a quiz of the winning words from the past eight Scripps National Spelling Bees. How many can you get right? Photos: Getty Images
