It’s safe to say Zwe Spacetime is making a habit of spelling his way to the top.
Outlasting six rounds, 31 students, and the winning word: “syntrophism,” the homeschooled student and winner of the 43rd Annual Washington Informer (WI) Citywide Bee is returning to the Scripps National stage in May, only this time representing Prince George’s County, Maryland.
“We are happy to have him on the team, representing The Washington Informer and Washington Informer Charities,” said Ron Burke, WI director of advertising and marketing. “I think that he’ll go very, very far in the finals.”
Held Friday, Zwe competed and was victorious in the 2026 Prince George’s County Spelling Bee, presented by The Washington Informer and Washington Informer Charities, boosting nothing but determination and positive energy regarding the challenge ahead.
Reflecting on what it would mean to take home the dub at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., May 26-28, the Fort Washington resident told The Informer: “[It would mean] a lot.”
“No Black boy, whether African American or non-African American…has won Scripps yet,” he continued.
In hopes of being the first, Zwe turned up the heat at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland on Friday, flying through six rounds that included spelling words like “singultient, dystopia and caudex,” among others.
After finishing in the top 10 during the 2025 National Bee, he considers this year especially pertinent to follow in the footsteps of his older sister and former National Scripps champion Zaila Avant-garde, whose historic win broke a barrier in 2021.
“The part of Black History, being the brother of Zaila Avant-garde, who was the first African American, second Black girl [after Jamaica’s Jody Anne-Maxwell in 1998], to win the Nationals,” he said, “it would be, for me, the [possibility] and historical significance of my win.”
Among the rows of the cultural center sat families, friends, principals, teachers, and members and representatives of the Prince George’s County Council and School Board of Education — all of whom cheered and boosted words of encouragement for the courageous scholars.
WI Charities. (Robert R. Roberts/The Washington Informer)
More than that, the room illuminated in a mutual calling to advance literacy and education for DMV youth, matched by sponsorships from: Comcast, Pepco, Educational Systems Federal Credit Union, Washington Gas, FAME, Safeway Foundation, Wegmans, as well as the National Cherry Blossom Festival, Merriam Webster, Scripps National Spelling Bee, and the Silver Spring Signarama.
“The youngest residents in our county are the heart of what we do in your county government. They’re the biggest investment in your tax dollars…but it’s also so important to make sure our children are thriving,” said Prince George’s Councilmember Wanika Fisher (D-District 2) on March 13. “When you pour into your children, it’s an endless love, and it’s boundless, and it’s forever.”
Wins, Losses, and Everything in Between
Atop the stage of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center stood a vast array of spellers who’d already bested dozens of others in individual school clusterbees.
While Zwe made his Prince George’s debut, competitors like Olivia Beasley and 10-year-old Caleb Saunders described a longstanding journey of competing annually for a chance to represent Maryland on a national scale.
Caleb, a student at Whitehall Elementary School, says he even hit third place in last year’s cluster bees, making Friday a particularly pleasing advancement for the youngest speller of the night.
“I [won] the school spelling bee, and I wanted to see if I could get it again,” said Caleb, who stood among the final eight contestants on March 13. “If I win another [school bee], [I’d come back] for sure.”
By the time it reached five of six bouts, only three spellers remained.
Round Two saw the most eliminations, with the remaining lineup dwindling at the hands of words from “cognizant” and “phraseology,” to “annulment,” “genealogical,” and “gullibility,” to name a few.
Olivia demonstrated a class act in composure and patience, opting for meticulous thinking in moments where she was, admittedly, stumped by words like “disproportionate,” despite persevering all six rounds.
After going head-to-head for second place against 13-year-old Timothy Hudson, who would leave the bee as Prince George’s runner-up, Olivia touted her resilience with pride.
“I was kind of nervous that I was gonna lose in the second round, but I just did it,” the sixth grader told The Informer, jokingly adding, “and well, I was the only girl – that’s all I need.”
In his final year of qualifying to compete, Zwe said his claim to fame for May’s matchoff looks like consistently practicing the study sets – especially focusing on the trickier words – while also recognizing the benefit of the win beyond competition season.
“[If] you are the winner of National Scripps, people are more likely to actually take notice of you and give you opportunities that you probably [wouldn’t get] if you didn’t have this significant accomplishment,” said Prince George’s Regional Bee winner. “It gives you a love of words, and [also shows you] how to study and to focus on specific tasks – we’re able to do that for hours at a time. It really helps open you to stuff.”
Meanwhile, Olivia says it’s all about having fun and a strong belief in oneself, regardless of the outcome.
“Just don’t stress about it, and try your hardest,” she told The Informer. “If you know that what you did is the best you could do, then there’s nothing more you can ask for.”