Dev Shah, an eighth-grader from Florida, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee and $50,000 after correctly spelling "psammophile," a plant or animal that prefers or thrives in sandy areas. He outlasted 228 other competitors, including 10 finalists, and studied 10 hours each day for the past year. The competition has become more difficult in the last two years, as its organizers have added new rules to challenge the spellers and to avoid a repeat of 2019, which ended with an eight-way tie after four hours that exhausted the bee’s list of challenging words.
Dev Shah, a 14-year-old from Largo, Florida, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee with the word "psammophile." Dev, who first competed in the national bee in 2019, is the 22nd champion in the past 24 years with South Asian heritage. He won more than $50,000 in cash and prizes. The bee, which began in 1925 and is open to students through the eighth grade, had 229 kids onstage as it began. The finalists demonstrated an impressive depth of knowledge as they worked their way through a sometimes diabolical word list chosen by Scripps' 21-person word panel.
Dev Shah, a 14-year-old boy from Florida, won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling "psammophile" in the 15th round. He takes home $50,000 cash prize and other monetary prizes and reference works. Shah is the 22nd champion in the past 24 years with South Asian heritage. The competition had 231 competitors, and the event was held in National Harbor, Maryland.
Dev Shah, a 14-year-old student from Florida, won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling "psammophile" in the 15th round. He takes home $50,000 in cash, reference works, and other monetary prizes. The competition featured 220 contestants, with 11 advancing to the finals. The event was held in National Harbor, Maryland, and televised live on Ion.
Dev Shah, a 14-year-old from Florida, won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling "psammophile," a noun that describes animals and plants that prefer to live in sandy soil environments. He also correctly spelled "poliorcetics," "aegagrus," and "schistorrhachis" to take home the $50,000 cash prize. Shah previously competed in the National Spelling Bee twice and enjoys math, social studies, tennis, and playing the cello.
Dev Shah, a 14-year-old from Largo, Florida, won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling the word psammophile, taking home the $50,000 first prize. Eleven students made the finals after 11 million people entered spelling competitions throughout the world.
Dev Shah, an eighth-grader from Largo, Florida, won the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee and the $50,000 prize by correctly spelling "psammophile." Charlotte Walsh, an eighth-grader from Arlington, Virginia, won second place and $25,000, while Shradha Rachamreddy and Surya Kapu tied for third and each won $12,500. Shah dedicated months to studying and cut back on extracurricular activities to prepare for the competition. The finals began with 11 spellers left, and Shah displayed poise and a "prodigious" command of word stems and roots to secure the win.
