A behind-the-scenes look at the National Spelling Bee
USA TODAY’s Michelle Del Rey was at DAR Constitution Hall for a behind-the-scenes tour of the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee ended with a dramatic spell-off, with Shree Parikh being named the winner.
Shree, 14, scored 32 words while runner-up Ishaan Gupta scored 25 words.
The winning word was “bromocriptine,” which is “a polypeptide alkaloid that is a derivative of ergot and mimics the activity of dopamine.”
The San Bernardino, Calif., native will take home $52,500 in cash, a Scripps Cup, a commemorative medal and other prizes.
The auditorium was filled to capacity, and cheers erupted when Schlie was named the winner.
Scripps officials presented Speller with an iconic trophy manufactured by Rookwood Pottery in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The final two competed in a spell-off to end the final match.
Spelloff was introduced in 2021. Each speller was given 90 seconds to spell as many words as possible. While one participant competed, the other was isolated with headphones on and could not hear the words being read aloud.
The judges read the same words in the same order. The winner was the participant who spelled the most words correctly.
On May 28, at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., nine finalists competed for the chance to be named spelling champion. This is the first time in 15 years that the bees have been held in the capital.
Other finalists are: Oliver Halkett in Los Angeles. Zwe Spacetime in Washington DC. Khushi Gottimukkara lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. Avishka Dudara, from Dallas. Aiden Meng lives in Danville, California. Saab Dalabane of Tucker, Georgia and Logan Bailey of Houston.
Eight of the nine finalists had competed in previous Scripps National Spelling Bees, and three had reached the finals in previous competitions, Scripps said.
Aiden opened the contest with the word “essoinee.” He was eliminated in the first three rounds after fumbling with “Catometope.” Oliver took second place, Zwe third, Avishka fourth, Logan fifth and Khushi sixth.
Some of the most difficult words of the night included cara sposa and quincke tube.
And it all came down to the last two, Ishaan and Shree.
Who is Shree Parikh?
The teenager competed in the National Bee in 2024, tied for third place, and tied for 89th in 2022, Scripps said.
His favorite word is “moonjaku,” which is “a type of small deer native to Southeast Asia.”
Speller plays a myriad of instruments, including the snare drum, bass drum, timpani, toms, break drum, triangle, glockenspiel, and marimba.
To prepare for the spelling bee, Schley practiced for five hours every day.
He told reporters that the “great community” was key to winning the title.
“They really motivated me and pushed me to get better. I’m so grateful,” Schley said, giving a shout out to his family and coaches.
It looks like the champion won’t be leaving the competition any time soon.
This year, he qualified for the California Mathematics Test, a math “bee” style competition for middle school students.
How are the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals conducted?
The finals included two spelling rounds and one vocabulary round. Vocabulary rounds were introduced as an on-stage element in 2021 to take the focus off spelling memorization. This involves giving each speller a multiple-choice question about the definition of the word.
In the spelling round, spellers were given 90 seconds to spell each word. If the spelling was incorrect, the judge rang a bell to end the competition time.
After spellers are given a word, they can ask questions about the definition, part of speech, how the word is used in a sentence, the language of origin, alternate pronunciations and repetition of the word, Scripps said.
The contest began on Tuesday, May 26th, with 247 spellers participating. They represented all 50 states. The international spellers were from Guam, Canada, the Bahamas, Ghana, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The spellers ranged in age from 9 to 15 years old.
How do I qualify for the Spelling Bee?
To be eligible for the spelling bee, students must be at least 15 years old or have passed eighth grade, Scripps said.
The children compete in the National Spelling Bee after winning the classroom and community bees. National participants will be selected based on competition results, Scripps said.
An estimated 11 million children participate in spelling bees in the United States each year, according to Scripps.
What does the champion win?
- From Scripps National Spelling Bee: $50,000 in cash, commemorative medal, Scripps Cup, and the official Scripps National Spelling Bee winner’s trophy.
- From Merriam-Webster: $2,500 cash and reference materials.
- From Encyclopedia Britannica: 1768 Encyclopedia Britannica©, Replica Set, Reference materials including 3-year membership to Britannica Online© Premium $400
- from Kennedy Space Center and visitor complex.: 2-day admission for up to 4 people, 2-night hotel stay, meet-and-greet with an astronaut, and $350 in merchandise.
- From Delta Airlines: $1,000 flight credit
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Please contact mdelrey@usatoday.com.
