Scripps National Spelling Bee 2025: Date, contestants, format, prize and how to watch

Scripps National Spelling Bee Turns 100: 243 Spellers to Compete for Top Honors This Week

The prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee is celebrating a century of linguistic excellence as it returns for its 100th anniversary edition this week. The event will be held from May 27 to 29 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC.

This year marks the 97th edition of the bee, with previous cancellations during World War II (1943–1945) and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Despite that, the 2024 champion will be the 110th overall, owing to multiple years ending in ties, including a record eight-way tie in 2019.

How to Watch the Spelling Bee 2025

The Spelling Bee 2025 will be available to a wide audience through multiple Scripps-owned platforms:

• May 27 (Tuesday): Preliminary rounds streamed from 8 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. EDT on Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More, and spellingbee.com
• May 28 (Wednesday): Quarterfinals: 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. | Semifinals: 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (live stream) and 8–10 p.m. (tape-delay broadcast on ION)
• May 29 (Thursday): Finals broadcast live on ION from 8–10 p.m.

A total of 243 contestants will spell their way through the week, representing all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, US territories (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands), and a few international entries from Canada, the Bahamas, Germany, Ghana, Kuwait, and Nigeria.

Among the top contenders is Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old from Allen, Texas, who narrowly missed winning last year in a high-stakes "spell-off" round. He's back this year with strong wins under his belt, including titles at the Words of Wisdom Spelling Bee and the South Asian Spelling Bee.

Other notable spellers include:

• Aishwarya Kallakuri (14, North Carolina), winner of the SpellPundit National Spelling Bee
• Avinav Prem Anand (14, Ohio), runner-up at the Words of Wisdom Bee
• Vedanth Raju (12, Colorado), younger brother of 2022 runner-up Vikram Raju

Eligibility is limited to students in Grade 8 or below, and participants must be 15 or younger. Spellers begin with two rounds of competition: one spelling round and a multiple-choice vocabulary round, featuring pre-disclosed words. Those who advance face a written test that determines the top 100 spellers for the quarterfinals.

As the bee progresses through oral spelling and vocabulary rounds, eliminations continue until roughly a dozen finalists remain. If needed, a “spell-off”, a timed lightning round, may be used to break ties in the final stage, though judges now have more flexibility in deciding whether it is necessary.

Spelling Bee Prizes and Recognition

The Spelling Bee champion will receive a custom trophy and a total prize package worth $52,500, including contributions from Merriam-Webster and Encyclopedia Britannica. Runners-up will receive the following:

• 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 each