In the final regional spelling bee of 2018, Houston is sending its top two spellers from the competition. This year, Pranav Chemudupaty, from Alvin Independent School District, was the champion, and Benjamin Chen, a student at Beaumont Independent School District, was runner-up. Houston is the largest regional competition, with 1,060 enrolled schools. 

Photo credit: Houston Public Media

I got five right

Garrett Bryner, an eighth-grader at Mont Harmon Middle School in Price, Utah, is returning for the second time to the national finals. He correctly spelled “Danube” to win the regional spelling bee sponsored by the Southeast Educational Service Center. Thanks to RSVBee, Garrett's brother, Pierce, also will compete, making them the first-ever set of twins to participate at the same time.

Photo credit: ETV 10News

I'm back! And greater than ever. I moved schools and won the school spelling bee for the second time in a row and it was at a whole different education. I once again made it to regionals, and made to the finals by correctly jaguar, mongrel, and charlatan. The finals were a bit nerve wracking. I got through the first three rounds with lumpish, carpentry, and relentless. I was then kicked out by misspelling parsonage. But, as luck would have it, there was a new invitational program created by my dream. The national bee.

Dina Miranda, a seventh-grader at Stanford Middle School in Long Beach, California, has earned a trip to the national finals after winning the Los Angeles County Regional Spelling Bee. It was a marathon event that lasted 10 hours with more than 500 words. The championship word for Dina was "grivoiserie."

Photo credit: South Bay Community News

Nilla Rajan, a seventh-grader at Bishop Flaget School in Chillicothe, Ohio, is returning to the national finals for a second time. She previously competed in 2016, and now she is back with experience, preparation and a new focus. She won the regional spelling bee sponsored by Ohio University's Scripps College of Communication with the word "Mozambique."

Photo credit: Chillicothe Gazette

Despite the lingering impact of Hurricane Maria, many children in Puerto Rico remained dedicated spellers. Nearly 30 students qualified for the Eureka Enrichment and Learning Center national spelling bee. Almudena Soler, a fifth-grader, was crowned the champion. Her brother was the Puerto Rico champion in 2013, but Almudena was too little for the trip. Now she has her own opportunity.

Photo credit: Spelling Bee Puerto Rico