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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Iolani School student represents Hawaii at 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Kira Lau, 13, is a spelling powerhouse. The Iolani School student recently represented Hawai'i at the 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee, a milestone year for the prestigious competition that draws top young spellers from across the country. Calling all Oʻahu teens! These summer volunteer spots fill fast: Photos Kira confidently spelled her first word, Fatimid, and followed up with Marooned—a word she defined as 'abandoned on a deserted island.' She made it through two rounds before facing a written test in Round 3, where her impressive run came to an end. 'I was like, if I got out, I already made it this far. It doesn't matter. I accomplished this,' Kira said. Competing on the national stage was a major shift from Hawai'i's local spelling bee, with the setting being more intense. Check out more news from around Hawaii Held at the Gaylord National Resort Convention Center at the National Harbor, spellers were on stage in a large auditorium with judges directly in front of the spellers and an audience full of parents. 'I was trying not to look at everybody. I was just focusing on Dr. Bailey,' she recalled. Jet lag added another challenge. 'We didn't get off Hawai'i time. We were six hours behind. We'd wake up at 1 p.m. and miss stuff,' Kira said with a laugh. 'Then we'd go down and do the activity for the day and go back to the room after.' Still, Kira says the experience was unforgettable. 'I think of how it started in my classroom with just 10 people. Got all the way to Washington, D.C.' When asked her favorite word to spell, she answered: 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.'Her advice for future spelling bee hopefuls? 'Study more than I did,' she said with a smile. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
AP PHOTOS: Top young spellers compete in 100th Scripps National Spelling Bee
WASHINGTON (AP) — The best young spellers in the English language are competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Scripps National Spelling Bee guide: How to watch, who the notable spellers are, rules and prizes
The best young spellers in the English language are set to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The first bee was held in 1925, when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited other newspapers to host spelling bees and send their champions to Washington. The bee is now held just outside the nation's capital, at a convention center on the banks of the Potomac River in Oxon Hill, Maryland. It starts Tuesday and concludes Thursday night. This will be the 97th bee; it was canceled from 1943 to 1945 because of World War II and again in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's champion will be the 110th, because the bee ended in a two-way tie several times and an eight-way tie in 2019. How can I watch the Scripps National Spelling Bee? The bee is broadcast and streamed on channels and platforms owned by Scripps, a Cincinnati-based media company. — Tuesday, May 27: Preliminary rounds streamed on Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More and from 8 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. EDT. — Wednesday, May 28: Quarterfinals streamed on Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More and from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Semifinals streamed on Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More and from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Semifinals broadcast on ION on tape-delay from 8-10 p.m. — Thursday, May 29: Finals broadcast on ION from 8-10 p.m. Who is competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee? The bee features 243 spellers, with at least one from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia; as well as spellers from U.S. territories Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands; and from Canada, the Bahamas, Germany, Ghana, Kuwait and Nigeria. Faizan Zaki, last year's runner-up, is back after losing to Bruhat Soma in a lightning-round tiebreaker known as a 'spell-off.' He's a 13-year-old seventh-grader from Allen, Texas. If he falls short again, he would have one more year of eligibility. He has won several online bees that top spellers compete in as preparation, including the Words of Wisdom Spelling Bee and the South Asian Spelling Bee. Other possible contenders: — Aishwarya Kallakuri, a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Concord, North Carolina, and winner of the SpellPundit National Spelling Bee. — Avinav Prem Anand, a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Columbus, Ohio, who finished second to Faizan in the Words of Wisdom bee. — Vedanth Raju, a 12-year-old seventh-grader from Aurora, Colorado, and the younger brother of 2022 runner-up Vikram Raju. What are the rules of the Scripps National Spelling Bee? Spellers qualify by advancing through regional bees hosted by sponsors around the country. In order to compete, spellers must not have advanced beyond the eighth grade or be older than 15. Spellers must get through two preliminary rounds, quizzing them on words from a list provided in advance: one spelling round and one multiple-choice vocabulary round. Those who make it through the preliminaries sit for a written spelling and vocabulary test, with the top 100 or so finishers advancing to the quarterfinals. The words for the test, and for all subsequent rounds, are taken from the Merriam-Webster Unabridged dictionary. Throughout the quarterfinals and semifinals, spellers are eliminated at the microphone through oral spelling or vocabulary questions. About a dozen spellers advance to the finals. When only two spellers remain, Scripps has the option to use a lightning-round tiebreaker known as a 'spell-off' to determine the champion. However, Scripps has taken away the requirement that the spell-off begin at a specific time, giving bee judges more discretion to let the competition play out. What are the prizes for the Scripps National Spelling Bee champion? The winner receives a custom trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. Here are the prize payouts: — First place: $52,500 in cash, reference works from Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster, and a $1,000 contribution to a school of the champion's choice. — Second place: $25,000. — Third place: $15,000. — Fourth place: $10,000. — Fifth place: $5,000. — Sixth place: $2,500. — All other finalists: $2,000. Stories of note — National Spelling Bee winners reflect on how it changed their lives — Scripps National Spelling Bee tweaks its rules to make 'spell-off' tiebreaker less likely — Bruhat Soma wins the National Spelling Bee after a slow night concludes with a sudden tiebreaker — National Spelling Bee reflects the economic success and cultural impact of immigrants from India — Exclusive secrets of the National Spelling Bee: Picking the words to identify a champion ___ Ben Nuckols has covered the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2012. Follow his work here.
Associated Press
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Scripps National Spelling Bee guide: How to watch, who the notable spellers are, rules and prizes
The best young spellers in the English language are set to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. The first bee was held in 1925, when the Louisville Courier-Journal invited other newspapers to host spelling bees and send their champions to Washington. The bee is now held just outside the nation's capital, at a convention center on the banks of the Potomac River in Oxon Hill, Maryland. It starts Tuesday and concludes Thursday night. This will be the 97th bee; it was canceled from 1943 to 1945 because of World War II and again in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's champion will be the 110th, because the bee ended in a two-way tie several times and an eight-way tie in 2019. How can I watch the Scripps National Spelling Bee? The bee is broadcast and streamed on channels and platforms owned by Scripps, a Cincinnati-based media company. — Tuesday, May 27: Preliminary rounds streamed on Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More and from 8 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. EDT. — Wednesday, May 28: Quarterfinals streamed on Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More and from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Semifinals streamed on Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More and from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Semifinals broadcast on ION on tape-delay from 8-10 p.m. — Thursday, May 29: Finals broadcast on ION from 8-10 p.m. Who is competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee? The bee features 243 spellers, with at least one from each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia; as well as spellers from U.S. territories Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands; and from Canada, the Bahamas, Germany, Ghana, Kuwait and Nigeria. Faizan Zaki, last year's runner-up, is back after losing to Bruhat Soma in a lightning-round tiebreaker known as a 'spell-off.' He's a 13-year-old seventh-grader from Allen, Texas. If he falls short again, he would have one more year of eligibility. He has won several online bees that top spellers compete in as preparation, including the Words of Wisdom Spelling Bee and the South Asian Spelling Bee. Other possible contenders: — Aishwarya Kallakuri, a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Concord, North Carolina, and winner of the SpellPundit National Spelling Bee. — Avinav Prem Anand, a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Columbus, Ohio, who finished second to Faizan in the Words of Wisdom bee. — Vedanth Raju, a 12-year-old seventh-grader from Aurora, Colorado, and the younger brother of 2022 runner-up Vikram Raju. What are the rules of the Scripps National Spelling Bee? Spellers qualify by advancing through regional bees hosted by sponsors around the country. In order to compete, spellers must not have advanced beyond the eighth grade or be older than 15. Spellers must get through two preliminary rounds, quizzing them on words from a list provided in advance: one spelling round and one multiple-choice vocabulary round. Those who make it through the preliminaries sit for a written spelling and vocabulary test, with the top 100 or so finishers advancing to the quarterfinals. The words for the test, and for all subsequent rounds, are taken from the Merriam-Webster Unabridged dictionary. Throughout the quarterfinals and semifinals, spellers are eliminated at the microphone through oral spelling or vocabulary questions. About a dozen spellers advance to the finals. When only two spellers remain, Scripps has the option to use a lightning-round tiebreaker known as a 'spell-off' to determine the champion. However, Scripps has taken away the requirement that the spell-off begin at a specific time, giving bee judges more discretion to let the competition play out. What are the prizes for the Scripps National Spelling Bee champion? The winner receives a custom trophy and more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. Here are the prize payouts: — First place: $52,500 in cash, reference works from Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster, and a $1,000 contribution to a school of the champion's choice. — Second place: $25,000. — Third place: $15,000. — Fourth place: $10,000. — Fifth place: $5,000. — Sixth place: $2,500. — All other finalists: $2,000. Stories of note — National Spelling Bee winners reflect on how it changed their lives — Scripps National Spelling Bee tweaks its rules to make 'spell-off' tiebreaker less likely — Bruhat Soma wins the National Spelling Bee after a slow night concludes with a sudden tiebreaker — National Spelling Bee reflects the economic success and cultural impact of immigrants from India — Exclusive secrets of the National Spelling Bee: Picking the words to identify a champion ___ Ben Nuckols has covered the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2012. Follow his work here.
