WASHINGTON (AP) — In a swirl of excitement that has brought the best young spellers to the heart of the Nation’s capital, the 98‑th‑annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is launching its finals tonight, Thursday evening. The competition, carried for centuries across the United States and now several other countries, will crown a new champion in a televised event that continues to grow in both prestige and reach.
The finals take place at DAR Constitution Hall, just a block from where the President and the Senate meet. After a long stint at a Baltimore suburban venue, the bee returned to Washington in 2026 to commemorate the rising importance of the spelling contest as a symbol of American linguistic tradition and academic excellence.
One new flavor of this year’s finals is the addition of ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes as the TV host, following her recent win of the “Celebrity Jeopardy!” crown. Kimes will guide the contestants through the “spell‑off” lightning‑round, a tiebreaker that was famously needed in 2019, and was used again in several past years, including two‑way ties that ruled the champion’s crown.
Both the record‑setting Indian‑heritage streak of past champions and the 111nd winners under the new name—due to ties in 2019 and after World War II and the COVID‑19 pandemic—inject even more historic weight. The 111th title will be won by an 11‑year‑old who will add a new sinew to a long string of almost unanimous victory.
Rules Overview
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Spellers must be under 16 and have not yet advanced beyond the eighth grade. They pass regional gauntlets in the United States, the District of Columbia, islands like the U.S. Virgin Islands, and international territories including Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, and the Bahamas.
The path to the finals begins with two preliminary rounds that involve written prompts from a pre‑submitted list, then a mixed “dictionary”‑based test that feeds into the quarterfinals. From about 95 quarterfinalists—after a rigorous written, vocabulary test drawn from Merriam‑Webster Unabridged—just nine push on to the final rounds. In case of a tie for last place, the “spell‑off” is used to break the deadlock. The event’s climax is the “found‑word” challenge: a single word to be spelled correctly three times in a row.
Finalists 2026
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* Sarv Dharavane, 11, Dal georgia (Georgia). He returned from last year’s third‑place finish in a golden streak of 2024, 2025, and 2026.
* Shrey Parikh, 14, from California; finished third in 2024.
* Oliver Halkett, 14, from Los Angeles.
* Zwe Spacetime, 14, from Maryland.
* Aiden Meng, 13, from California.
* Ishaan Gupta, 12, New Jersey.
* Kushi Gottimukkala, 13, North Carolina.
* Avishka Dudala, 13, Texas.
* Logan Bailey, 12, Houston.
Broadcasts & Platforms
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The finals will air at 8 p.m.–10 p.m. on ION, with streaming on Scripps—ION Plus, Bounce®, Grit, Laff, The Spot, Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More, Scripps News and Scripps Sports Network. The fully online stream will be stream‑supported by the Scripps digital ecosystem, a critical move that signals the event’s inclusion in an age of robust social‑media and mobile consumption.
Award Structure
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o. 1st Place – $52,500, a set of reference works from Encyclopaedia Britannica and Merriam‑Webster, a custom trophy, a commemorative medal, and $1,000 flight credits from Delta Air Lines.
o. 2nd Place – $25,000.
o. 3rd Place – $15,000.
o. 4th Place – $10,000.
o. 5th Place – $5,000.
o. 6th Place – $2,500.
o. Other finalists – $2,000 each.
Concluding Notes
---
The Scripps National Spelling Bee’s long‑honed formula—regional qualifying rounds, a rigorous dictionary‑defined test, and the highly televised finals—continues to capture the national imagination. Even as the event snapped away during wartime and the pandemic, it returns with increasing international participation and comes with a new host and a renewed broadcast distribution strategy sympathetic to the streaming‑savvy generation.
The country watches in anticipation as each contestant unravels a word and, perhaps, a new memory of a champion who will be the 111th to hold the crown.
Ben Nuckols has covered the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2012. Follow his work here.
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The finals take place at DAR Constitution Hall, just a block from where the President and the Senate meet. After a long stint at a Baltimore suburban venue, the bee returned to Washington in 2026 to commemorate the rising importance of the spelling contest as a symbol of American linguistic tradition and academic excellence.
One new flavor of this year’s finals is the addition of ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes as the TV host, following her recent win of the “Celebrity Jeopardy!” crown. Kimes will guide the contestants through the “spell‑off” lightning‑round, a tiebreaker that was famously needed in 2019, and was used again in several past years, including two‑way ties that ruled the champion’s crown.
Both the record‑setting Indian‑heritage streak of past champions and the 111nd winners under the new name—due to ties in 2019 and after World War II and the COVID‑19 pandemic—inject even more historic weight. The 111th title will be won by an 11‑year‑old who will add a new sinew to a long string of almost unanimous victory.
Rules Overview
---
Spellers must be under 16 and have not yet advanced beyond the eighth grade. They pass regional gauntlets in the United States, the District of Columbia, islands like the U.S. Virgin Islands, and international territories including Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, and the Bahamas.
The path to the finals begins with two preliminary rounds that involve written prompts from a pre‑submitted list, then a mixed “dictionary”‑based test that feeds into the quarterfinals. From about 95 quarterfinalists—after a rigorous written, vocabulary test drawn from Merriam‑Webster Unabridged—just nine push on to the final rounds. In case of a tie for last place, the “spell‑off” is used to break the deadlock. The event’s climax is the “found‑word” challenge: a single word to be spelled correctly three times in a row.
Finalists 2026
---
* Sarv Dharavane, 11, Dal georgia (Georgia). He returned from last year’s third‑place finish in a golden streak of 2024, 2025, and 2026.
* Shrey Parikh, 14, from California; finished third in 2024.
* Oliver Halkett, 14, from Los Angeles.
* Zwe Spacetime, 14, from Maryland.
* Aiden Meng, 13, from California.
* Ishaan Gupta, 12, New Jersey.
* Kushi Gottimukkala, 13, North Carolina.
* Avishka Dudala, 13, Texas.
* Logan Bailey, 12, Houston.
Broadcasts & Platforms
---
The finals will air at 8 p.m.–10 p.m. on ION, with streaming on Scripps—ION Plus, Bounce®, Grit, Laff, The Spot, Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More, Scripps News and Scripps Sports Network. The fully online stream will be stream‑supported by the Scripps digital ecosystem, a critical move that signals the event’s inclusion in an age of robust social‑media and mobile consumption.
Award Structure
---
o. 1st Place – $52,500, a set of reference works from Encyclopaedia Britannica and Merriam‑Webster, a custom trophy, a commemorative medal, and $1,000 flight credits from Delta Air Lines.
o. 2nd Place – $25,000.
o. 3rd Place – $15,000.
o. 4th Place – $10,000.
o. 5th Place – $5,000.
o. 6th Place – $2,500.
o. Other finalists – $2,000 each.
Concluding Notes
---
The Scripps National Spelling Bee’s long‑honed formula—regional qualifying rounds, a rigorous dictionary‑defined test, and the highly televised finals—continues to capture the national imagination. Even as the event snapped away during wartime and the pandemic, it returns with increasing international participation and comes with a new host and a renewed broadcast distribution strategy sympathetic to the streaming‑savvy generation.
The country watches in anticipation as each contestant unravels a word and, perhaps, a new memory of a champion who will be the 111th to hold the crown.
Ben Nuckols has covered the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2012. Follow his work here.
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