For three days, Zwe Spacetime gave his all against several of the world’s best elementary and middle-school aged spellers, eventually reaching the final rounds of what’s known to many as the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Though he suffered defeat in the 12th round, Zwe walked off the stage with the full support of an audience that cheered him on throughout the competition. As he explained to The Informer, his ascent to the finals came with a deeper appreciation for his mastery of multisyllabic words.
“Anyone can become a good speller,” Zwe told The Informer. “The main difference between spellers and other people is that they know that English spelling [has] a lot of bizarre words. If you’re like me and you actually try to understand why English spelling is the way it is, there’s always a reason for it. English spelling is logical, but not in the way that most people care about.”
Looking Back: Shrey Parikh Wins First Place at the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee
On the evening of May 28, Zwe, a homeschool student who lives in Fort Washington Maryland, aimed to become the first-ever African-American male national spelling bee winner. He competed against: Aiden Meng; Oliver Halkett; Shrey Parikh; Sarv Dharavane; Ishaan Gupta; Kushi Gottimukkala; Avishka Dudala, and Logan Bailey of Houston.
The group of finalists competed before an audience that included Zwe’s older sister and 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion Zaila Avant-garde.
After two hours, and nearly a dozen rounds, Shrey was crowned first place winner of the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Shrey, a two-time finalist, clinched victory during a 90 second spell-off against Ishaan where he correctly spelled 32 words, compared to Ishaan’s 25.
Despite what he described as the stress of competition, Shrey relished the opportunity to expand his mind and commune with other young people.
“One part [of this journey] was learning so much about all these different fields and being exposed to so many different cultures and things through words,” Shrey told The Informer. “Then another one was all this amazing community and all the great friends I’ve made throughout spelling who have supported me every step of the way.”
Rounds 10 and 11, the first two rounds of the finals, ended with all nine spellers standing tall. During the 12th round, Zwe, Aiden, Oliver, and Avishka suffered defeat. The 13th round went without a hitch before Logan, the youngest of the finalists, lost in the 14th round with his misspelling of a Quincke’s tube.
During the 15th round, Kushi lost when she misspelled cara sposa. In the 17th round, Sarv lost with his misspelling of disa. Shrey and Ishaan held their own during the 18th round, which triggered the spell off that Shrey ultimately dominated.
Through it all, Shrey maintained a spirit of camaraderie.
“These past three days, it has been really fun talking to all the other spellers because we have a lot of interests alike,” Shrey told The Informer. “Being with your cohort and the people who are similar to you is amazing because it gives you a chance to de-stress and just have fun.”
A Moment With Nora Baker, Informer Citywide Spelling Bee Winner
An audience that included spellers, parents, teachers and past national spelling bee champions filled the main auditorium at DAR Constitution Hall on the evening of May 28.
Before the finals kicked off, they heard from the likes of: National Scripps Company president and CEO Adam Symson, Lawrence Hamm, Jr., Event DC’s vice president of business development, and Faizan Zaki, 2025 national spelling bee champion.
In his remarks, Symson set the tone for what he described as a notable moment for students and educators alike.
“Tonight, millions will gather, separately in their own homes, but together as a nation to see these spellers shine a spotlight on learning and language,” Symson told the audience. “That’s remarkable. And that this spotlight has continued to shine on the national stage for more than a century, truly incredible.”
Symson then gave a special message to the 247 spellers who gave it their all on May 26-28.
“I’d like to add my congratulations to the entire Bee Class of 2026,” he said. “You are an amazing group and you have my respect and admiration.I know you’ve all worked very hard to get here, and my hope is that you found your time here at Bee Week rewarded, memorable, and a lot of fun.”
In his second consecutive year as a Washington Informer-sponsored speller, Zwe represented the home team in a competition that, for the first time in more than a decade, took place in the heart of the nation’s capital. He and Nora Baker, the 2026 Informer CItywide Spelling Bee winner, counted among the 247 young spellers who competed in DAR Constitution Hall in Northwest.
Nora, an eighth grader at Basis DC Charter School and aspiring neurologist, tied for 96th place overall in the national bee. In the third round, she counted among those eliminated via a written test. A couple days later, she attended the finals with her father and grandfather, taken aback by what she’s been able to accomplish over the last four years.
“I was really excited when I won D.C. this year because I had gotten second the last two years and third the year before, so I finally won it,” Nora told The Informer. “This experience definitely taught me to work hard to accomplish goals. If you zoom out, this is a huge thing, but then step by step, you can get there.”
In years past, Nora studied up to 100 words per night as part of her championship regimen. As she recalled, Nora met others at DAR Constitution Hall who displayed a similar love for spelling. As she prepares for her high school career, Nora continues to bask in the glory of her national spelling bee experience.
“It was fun, so I’m pretty proud,” Nora told The Informer. “It’s really interesting being with the top spellers in the whole country, and other countries. There are some really smart people here, and it’s really cool to learn some facts about them.”
Expressing a Love of the Game
Throughout much of the week, Zwe, who clinched a first place victory at The Informer’s Prince George’s County bee earlier this year after winning the 2025 competition in D.C., weathered the storm of complex words. On Thursday afternoon, he earned his spot in the finals with his correct spelling of palosapis. Before then, he bested more than 230 spellers while correctly spelled: graphite; incienso; checkrein; and gyokuro.
Zwe also passed the written test and, in other rounds, provided the correct definition for morsel, promulgate, and lumen.
Last year, Zwe’s trek as a first-time national spelling bee participant ended early when he misspelled cocillana. At the end of this year’s journey, he’s making history as the first Informer spelling bee winner to compete in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
For him, however, it was more about the love of the game than anything else.
“I don’t feel anything particular, like state nationalism,” Zwe told The Informer, “but we’re all just spellers because of where we come from. The whole experience of spelling and interacting with other spellers and staff. After [getting] certified, more people are talking to me.”
