An Indian-origin teenager from California won the 2026 edition of the United States’ Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday.Shrey Parikh, 14, won the contest after he correctly spelt “bromocriptine”, a prescription medicine that mimics the activity of dopamine. He was awarded a cash prize of $50,000, or around Rs 47.7 lakh.
Parikh defeated 12-year-old Ishaan Gupta, a resident of New Jersey, in a spell-off round in which both contestants were given 90 seconds to correctly spell as many words as possible. Judges said Parikh correctly spelt 32 words, while Gupta managed 25.This was only the third spell-off in the competition’s history since the format was introduced in 2022. Parikh set a new record during the round.“Right now I am probably the happiest I have ever been,” AP quoted Parikh as saying. “I am just so happy and relieved, and just such a flood of emotions.”Twelve-year-old Sarv Dharavane from Georgia finished in third place for the second year in a row, AP reported.This was Parikh’s third appearance at the competition. He finished 89th in 2022 and reached third place in 2024, according to NPR.The spelling contest has largely been dominated by students of Indian descent. Parikh became the 31st champion of Indian heritage in the past 37 editions, continuing a streak that began with Nupur Lala’s win in 1999. Five of the nine finalists on Thursday night were of Indian origin.Written by Sara Varghese. Edited by Sneha. Also read: In documentary ‘Spelling the Dream’, a peek into how Indian-Americans have mastered the dictionaryIs the spelling bee success of Indian-Americans a legacy of British colonialism?Reading, word lists and a whole lot of practice: How to become a spelling bee champion
