A 14-year-old student from Rancho Cucamonga, California, claimed victory at the Scripps National Spelling Bee Thursday evening, taking home the $50,000 grand prize after a dramatic spell-off finale.
Shrey Parikh, an eighth-grader, outperformed his competitor by correctly spelling 32 words in a 90-second rapid-fire round. His opponent, 12-year-old seventh-grader Ishaan Gupta from Jersey City, New Jersey, managed 25 correct spellings from the same word list while sequestered during Parikh’s attempt.
The two finalists reached the climactic showdown after successfully navigating 18 rounds without a single misspelling during the final day of competition. Competition officials implemented the spell-off format in 2021 following the 2019 event that concluded with eight co-champions who continued spelling words without error.
According to event organizers, Parikh’s championship word was “bromocriptine,” defined by the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary as “a polypeptide alkaloid that is a derivative of ergot and mimics the activity of dopamine.”
Parikh secured his spot in the spell-off by successfully spelling “Philepitta,” a genus of Madagascan birds, while Gupta matched his performance in the 18th round with “Ertebolle” — referring to an Early Neolithic or Late Mesolithic culture in the Baltic region.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee stands as one of America’s most recognized academic competitions, with roots dating back to 1925 when the Louisville Courier-Journal newspaper launched a national spelling contest for students.
Throughout the years, the competition has transformed into an intensely competitive event attracting hundreds of participants from throughout the United States and internationally.
Participants earn their spots through local and regional competitions, tackling challenging and unusual words by often constructing unfamiliar terms using knowledge of etymology, pronunciation and meaning.
A total of 247 finalists, all 15 years old or younger, participated in the three-day televised national championship at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington.
