The 30th annual Links, Inc./The Times-Picayune Spelling Bee in New Orleans came down to an impressive and dramatic conclusion. Thomas Gross III of LaPLace Elementary won with "tritium" after 25 rounds of words just between the last two spellers. The appreciative crowd gasped in disbelief over the difficulty of some words during the 40-round competition.

Photo credit: Dinah L. Rogers, NOLA.com