Shrey Parikh was declared the winner of the 101st Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday, May 28. After three days of competition, Parikh beat the other nine finalists to win the competition after a spell-off against finalist Ishaan Gupta. The adolescent beat out 247 of the nation’s brightest young spellers in a high-pressure showdown packed with impossible words and intense competition.
Narrowed down from nine semifinalists, Parikh went head-to-head with the final three contestants: Kushi Gottimukkala of North Carolina, Sarv Dharavane of Georgia, and Ishaan Gupta of New Jersey. One by one, the field was whittled down until it became a showdown between Parikh and Gupta.
The event ended in a spell-off during the final moments of the Bee, where contestants raced against the clock using buzzers, with speed determining the winner. Only two spell-offs have been held since the format was first introduced in 2022. The two boys competed to correctly spell as many words as possible within the allotted time of 90 seconds, buzzing in before each attempt. After a brief delay caused by a malfunctioning buzzer, the competition resumed, and the two finalists continued their fast-paced battle for the championship.
After words such as “cywyddau,” “fais-dodo,” and “emeute,” Parikh managed to spell 32 words correctly in 90 seconds (a new record), over Gupta’s 25 words, becoming the winner of the 101st Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Here is everything we know about the young winner.
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How old is Shrey Parikh?
He is 14 years old.
Where is Shrey Parikh from?
He is from San Bernardino, California.
What word did Shrey Parikh spell to win?
Technically, “bromocriptine” was the winning word (which is “a polypeptide alkaloid that is a derivative of ergot and mimics the activity of dopamine”), but the winner was determined via spell-off, a lightning-round tiebreaker used to determine the champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee if the competition runs close to the end of its live television broadcast window or reaches a tie. After a spell-off against Gupta, Parikh was able to spell 32 words in 90 seconds against Gupta’s 25 words, with the final word being “cashaw.”
What is Shrey Parikh’s history with the National Spelling Bee?
Shrey previously competed in 2022 (tied for 89th place) and 2024 (tied for 3rd place). He once missed out on a possible win because he blended two letters in a word together.
What did he win?
Parikh took home the Scripps Cup, a cash prize of $50,000, and a trip to Universal Studios Orlando Resort.
How did he feel about the historic win in the spell-off?
“It’s not something I practiced for alot, but I did a few spell-offs to practice. Spelling fast is what I do everyday, so a spell-off came naturally,” said Parikh. “It’s just another day of spelling.”