Two hundred and eighty-one students competed for the National Spelling Bee trophy and the $30,000 cash prize. Millions of students participated in some type of spelling bee during the year, but only one came out as the final winner – Arvind Mahankali. This year’s spelling bee was held at Gaylord National Resort at National Harbor, MD. Orientation was held on Sunday May 27th and the kids took their first computer-based test on Tuesday and live spelling begin on Wednesday. It was a week filled with excitement, camaraderie, pain and loss.
