1 of 8 | Shrey Parikh, 14, from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., celebrates with his family after winning the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Photo by Annabelle Gordon/UPI | License Photo
May 29 (UPI) -- A 14-year-old from San Bernardino, Calif., has won the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee, which came down to a dramatic spell-off between Shrey Parikh and eventual second-place finisher, 12-year-old Jersey City, N.J., student Ishaan Gupta.
Parikh correctly spelled an impressive 32 of 35 words in the 90-second time limit to Gupta's 25 of 29 words to win the spell-off and the coveted spelling title.
The California teen was all smiles as he was presented with the Scripps Cup by Scripps President and CEO Adam Symson. He was also awarded more than $50,000 and a trip to Universal Orlando Resort.
His 32nd correctly spelled and winning word during the spell-off was "bromocriptine," which is defined, according to Scripps, as "a polypeptide alkaloid that is a derivative of ergot and mimics the activity of dopamine."
