Shrey Parikh Wins 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee
A new champion was crowned in the Scripps National Spelling Bee finals on Thursday night, as Shrey Parikh, 14, clinched victory in a spell-off by correctly spelling “cashaw” to outlast all other finalists and remain standing as the lone wrangler of letters.
The win came on the national stage at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., where the competition returned this year after more than a decade in Maryland. Parikh emerged the winner from a starting field of 247 spellers ages 9 to 15, who qualified from across the United States and abroad.
The final round lasted until only Parikh remained, securing the title once runner-up Ishaan Gupta was eliminated after spelling fewer words correctly.
When Did the Scripps National Spelling Bee End?
The victory signifies the end of this year's three-day competition, which began on Tuesday with preliminary rounds and concluded on Thursday night with a televised finale on Scripps’ own ION network.
Nine kids competed in the finals: Oliver Halkett of Los Angeles, California; Zwe Spacetime of Washington, D.C..; Kushi Gottimukkala of Charlotte, North Carolina; Avishka Dudala of Dallas, Texas; Aiden Meng of Danville, California; Parikh of San Bernardino, California; Sarv Dharavane of Tucker, Georgia; Gupta of Jersey City, New Jersey; and Logan Bailey of Houston, Texas.
What Was the Winning Word in the Scripps National Spelling Bee?
In the final round of the competition, Parikh correctly spelled "cashaw" to secure the title of this year’s young word master.
The final round consisted of the two finalists spelling as many words correctly as possible in 90 seconds. Parikh spelled 32 words correctly versus Gupta’s 25. The two had to spell each word and hit a button in order for the next word to be announced.
What We Know About This Year's Winner
This year's champion, Parikh, is a 14-year-old from San Bernardino, California.
Like all national finalists, Parikh had to capture local and regional spelling bees in his home region to earn a place in the Scripps bee.
He previously competed in 2022 and tied for 89th place and then again in 2023 when he climbed all the way up to a tie for third place, according to his spelling bee bio.
Parikh’s bio also says that his favorite subject in school is math, his favorite movie is The Goonies and his favorite word is “muntjac,” which is a small deer known for its barking.
What Is the Scripps National Spelling Bee?
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is an annual academic competition for elementary and middle school students, held almost every year since 1925. According to the Scripps website, the competition originally formed as a consolidation of spelling bees by nine local newspapers.
Per Scripps, the bee team partners with Merriam-Webster each year to bring specific words to the best spellers. The competition is widely regarded as the nation's longest-running educational program.
To qualify, contestants must first win in local and regional spelling contests organized by sponsor organizations across the country and abroad. Participants must be in the eighth grade or below and be younger than 16.
The national finals gather hundreds of these young spelling champs, who compete in rounds of increasingly difficult oral spelling and vocabulary questions until only one speller remains.
Last year’s winner was Faizan Zaki, a Texan student who correctly spelled the word "éclaircissement."
What Does the Winner Get?
The Scripps National Spelling Bee champion received a $50,000 cash prize, the official Scripps Cup trophy and a commemorative medal.
In addition, the champion got another $2,500 in cash, a reference library from Merriam-Webster and reference works from Encyclopedia Britannica worth $400. As if that wasn’t enough for the new word leader, the winner also received $1,000 in flight vouchers from Delta Air Lines.
Other top finishers took home significant cash prizes, including $25,000 for the second-place finalist and $15,000 for third place.
Every bee participant is eligible for a prize package, including bee souvenirs and an official certificate of participation, according to the program website.
Who Hosted the Scripps National Spelling Bee?
This year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee was hosted by Mina Kimes, an ESPN NFL analyst who served as the main presenter for the bee's televised semifinals and finals. Kimes is a journalist and former elementary school spelling wiz who recently nabbed over $1 million after a Celebrity Jeopardy! win, per The Athletic. The Scripps bee is produced with help from Jeopardy! executive producer Michael Davies.
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This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 10:53 PM.