OXON HILL, Md. (WKRN) — Nearly 250 word wizards gathered at a convention center just outside Washington, D.C., this week to vie for victory at the 100th anniversary of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Organizers said the first National Spelling Bee was held in 1925, sponsored by the Louisville Courier-Journal, which invited other newspapers across the country to hold spelling bees and send their champions to D.C. However, since the event was canceled from 1943 to 1945 because of World War II, and again in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2025 competition is only the 97th bee, despite it being the 100th anniversary year.

In this monumental year for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, three students from the Volunteer State showed off their skills, with two of them advancing farther

See Full Page