Shrey Parikh, a 14-year-old eighth grader from Rancho Cucamonga, California, won the 98th annual Scripps National Spelling Bee on May 28, 2026, in Washington, D.C. Parikh clinched the title after a high-speed spell-off against 12-year-old Ishaan Gupta of Jersey City, New Jersey.
What happened
The competition narrowed to eight finalists, with Parikh and Gupta emerging as the last two spellers. They faced off in a spell-off round, where each had 90 seconds to spell as many words as possible. Parikh correctly spelled 32 words, outpacing Gupta’s 25.
The winning word was later revealed by Scripps to be “bromocriptine,” a polypeptide alkaloid that simulates dopamine activity. Parikh received a $52,500 cash prize, a custom trophy, a commemorative medal, reference books from Encyclopaedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster, and $1,000 in Delta Air Lines flight credits.
This victory marked Parikh’s return to the top after finishing third in 2024 and narrowly missing last year’s school-level bee due to illness. Parikh has since dominated national spelling competitions, defeating many of the same competitors in previous online contests.
Why it matters
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is one of the most prestigious academic competitions in the United States, spotlighting young talent in language and vocabulary skills. Parikh’s win underscores the competitive intensity of the event and its role in encouraging scholastic excellence across a broad, diverse participant base from all U.S. states, territories, and several countries worldwide.
Winning the bee brings national recognition and a significant prize package that supports educational growth. The event’s return to Washington, D.C., at Constitution Hall, also marks a homecoming for the bee after years away.
Background
The Scripps National Spelling Bee began in 1925, originally sponsored by the Louisville Courier-Journal. It has evolved into a national competition with rigorous preliminary rounds, including written vocabulary and spelling tests, and oral elimination stages.
This year’s bee included 247 participants from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, three U.S. territories, and five other countries. After multiple rounds, the field narrowed to 167 spellers following preliminary competition and then to 95 quarterfinalists after the written tests.
The competition was not held from 1943 to 1945 due to World War II and was canceled again in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sources
This article is based on reporting and publicly available information from the following source:
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