Nine young spellers advanced to the finals of the 101st Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC.
The finalists emerged from a field of 247 competitors after preliminary and semifinal rounds over two days.
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According to organizers, the finalists are Oliver Halkett, Zwe Spacetime, Kushi Gottimukkala, Avishka Dudala, Aiden Meng, Shrey Parikh, Sarv Dharavane, Ishaan Gupta, and Logan Bailey.
All contenders are under 15 and competing for the Scripps Cup and $52,500 in cash.
The live semifinals began with 54 spellers. Contestants have 90 seconds to spell assigned words and 30 seconds for vocabulary multiple-choice questions.
This year marks the first time the competition is held at the historic 1929 DAR Constitution Hall, after being at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center from 2011 to 2025.
Executive Director Corrie Loeffler described the venue change as part of a broader "vibe shift" for the event.
The production is managed by Michael Davies, who revamped "Jeopardy!" , and is hosted by ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes.
Participants include students from all 50 U. S.
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states, Washington, DC, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U. S.
Virgin Islands, Defense Department schools in Europe, and five foreign nations.
Spelling challenges included words such as lucanidae, mnemosyne, eicosanoid, and lacrimale.
To prevent multiple co-champions, officials may trigger a 90-second spell-off, used in 2022 and 2024 finals.
An estimated 11 million children participate in local qualifiers annually. Last year, 13-year-old Faizan Zaki won by spelling "éclaircissement."
The final round broadcasts live on ION television from 8 p. m.
to 10 p. m.
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Eastern time.
