CINCINNATI, May 8, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee brings a
field of 245 competitors – the largest since 2019 – to National
Harbor, Maryland, from
May 28-30, including six former
finalists and three four-time national participants.
The national qualifiers advanced through local and regional bees
that took place through early April. All rounds of this year's
national competition – preliminaries, quarterfinals, semifinals and
finals – will take place at the Gaylord National Resort &
Convention Center.
Highlights of the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee
field:
- The spellers range in age from 8 to 15.
- Only 57 spellers return from the 2023 field, while 65 spellers
have previously competed.
- More than 73 percent – 180 spellers – are competing in their
first Scripps National Spelling Bee.
- Four 2023 finalists advanced to the 2024 national competition:
Sarah Fernandes, tied for 10th;
Aryan Khedkar, tied for fifth;
Tarini Nandakumar, finished ninth;
and Shradha Rachamreddy, tied for
third. Aliyah Alpert and
Kirsten Santos were finalists in
2022.
- Logan Edwards, Tarini Nandakumar and Shradha Rachamreddy will be competing in their
fourth Scripps National Spelling Bees. Edwards and Nandakumar have
been to four in a row. Sixteen spellers are in their third Bee, and
13 are making their third consecutive appearance.
- There are spellers from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Texas has the largest representation with 20
national competitors. California
and Ohio are next with 17 each,
followed by Florida, Illinois and New
York with 13 each.
- There are 12 competitors from outside the 50 United States,
representing the Bahamas,
Canada, Germany, Ghana, Guam,
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Here is the 2024 Scripps National
Spelling Bee Media Guide.
Find more information on the national competitors at
spellingbee.com.
"Each year, I'm moved by the stories I read about our spellers
in the leadup to the national rounds of the competition," Scripps
National Spelling Bee Executive Director Corrie Loeffler said. "They are athletes and
artists, engineers and entrepreneurs, philanthropists and authors –
they are multi-faceted young people. The thing they have in common
is a shared love of language and the empowerment that comes from
having the words to make connections and express their ideas. That
is our mission at the Bee, and I can't wait to see this year's
group of spellers bring it to life as they impress audiences across
the world with their incredible prowess and authenticity."
The Bee on Scripps Networks:
The Bee will again air on ION this year after a strong first two
years on Scripps' national network. In 2023, the semifinals and
finals drew 9.2 million viewers, an increase of 22% over its 2022
debut on ION. The 2023 finals (live and immediate encore) on
June 1 reached its largest audience
since 2012 – 6.1 million viewers, an increase of 30% over
2022.
The 2024 broadcast/livestream of onstage competition follows
this schedule (all times Eastern and end times approximate):
- The preliminaries will be streamed on ION Plus, Bounce
XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More and spellingbee.com from 8 a.m. to 7:40 p.m. on Tuesday, May 28.
- The quarterfinals will be streamed on ION Plus, Bounce
XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More and spellingbee.com from 8 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29.
- The semifinals will be streamed on ION Plus, Bounce XL,
Grit Xtra, Laff More and spellingbee.com from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 30. A special
semifinals broadcast will air later that evening from 8-10 p.m. on ION and Scripps News, as well as
Bounce, Grit, ION Mystery, Laff and Defy TV.
- The finals will air live in primetime on ION from
8-10 p.m. on Thursday, May 30.
In addition to ION, the finals will also air on Scripps' other
popular national entertainment networks, Bounce, Grit, ION
Mystery, Laff and Defy TV, as well as its free, ad-supported
streaming channels ION Plus, Bounce XL, Grit Xtra and Laff More. A
rebroadcast of the finals will be available on Scripps News on
May 31 from 10
p.m. to midnight and again June
1 from midnight to 2 a.m. The
Scripps Networks can be found free over-the-air as well as on
cable, satellite and streaming platforms.
If you are watching the Bee over the air with
an antenna,
check out Tablo, which allows you to record over-the-air
programs.
The 2024 Bee also will celebrate three special recognitions:
- 2024 Educator of the Year, presented by SugarBee® Apple:
Dr. Alexander Carr, teacher at
Orlando Gifted Academy in Florida.
Once a competitive speller himself, Carr started the school's first
spelling bee program and serves as its coordinator.
- 2024 Regional Partner of the Year: Sage, a global
academic publisher of books, journals and
- library resources. Since Sage became the regional partner for
the Ventura County Spelling Bee in 2017, its team has worked to
customize the spelling bee experience for every participant, from
developing new resources to congratulating each school champion
with special welcome boxes.
- 2024 Regional Volunteer of the Year: Craig Pearson, volunteer pronouncer for the WFCU
Credit Union Regional Spelling Bee in Windsor, Ontario. Pearson is the managing
editor of the Windsor Star and has pronounced at the regional bee
for the past 19 years.
For media covering the Bee:
- Media can submit a request for credentials to cover the
national competition in person at the Gaylord here. Media should
use registration code: Media24.
- Media interested in following the action remotely should
contact media@spellingbee.com to receive updates during the
competition.
Media contact: Becca
McCarter, 513-410-2425, Rebecca.mccarter@scripps.com
About the Scripps National Spelling Bee:
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation's largest and
longest-running educational program, having launched in 1925. By
inspiring the exploration of words, the Scripps National Spelling
Bee illuminates pathways to lifelong curiosity, celebrates academic
achievement and enriches
communities. Visit spellingbee.com for more
information about the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is
administered on a not-for-profit basis by The E.W. Scripps
Company (NASDAQ: SSP).
About Scripps
The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP) is a diversified media
company focused on creating a better-informed world. As one of the
nation's largest local TV broadcasters, Scripps serves communities
with quality, objective local journalism and operates a portfolio
of more than 60 stations in 40+ markets. Scripps reaches households
across the U.S. with national news outlets Scripps News and Court
TV and popular entertainment brands ION, Bounce, Defy TV, Grit, ION
Mystery and Laff. Scripps is the nation's largest holder of
broadcast spectrum. Scripps is the longtime steward of the Scripps
National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps' long-time motto
is: "Give light and the people will find their own way."
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SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company