Nine spellers are vying Thursday night for a chance at glory and $50,000 in the finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The finalists are 12 to 14, and represent five states as well as the District of Columbia. For the four eighth-grade finalists, this will be their last shot at victory before they age out of the competition. Three of the contestants have reached the finals before, including 12-year-old Sarv Dharavane, who came in third last year.
Here are the finalists — with details from their bee biographies — competing on Thursday night.
Logan Bailey, 12, a sixth grader from Houston, is making his Scripps National Spelling Bee debut. He enjoys playing piano, coding his own computer projects and participating in math competitions. He once held the Guinness World Record for the fastest typing of the alphabet by someone under 16. His favorite word is Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, a lake in Massachusetts.
Sarv Dharavane, 12, is back in the finals after coming in third last year, when he was knocked out by “eserine.” A sixth grader from Dunwoody, Ga., Sarv likes to swim, play basketball and read fantasy novels.
Avishka Dudala, 13, an eighth grader from Prosper, Texas, enjoys creative writing, watching comedy and playing tennis. Her favorite movie is “Interstellar,” and her favorite food is pizza. She tied for 41st place last year.
Kushi Gottimukkala, 13, a seventh grader from Morrisville, N.C., enjoys reading, competing in science and math competitions, watching history documentaries and participating in a Bollywood dance group. She tied Avishka for 41st place last year.
Ishaan Gupta, 12, a seventh grader from Jersey City, N.J., is a co-author of the climate fiction book “The Martian Miracle: Ivaan and the Climate Crisis.” He likes to run, bike and hike, and has a personal library of more than 650 books. He tied for 20th place last year.
Oliver Halkett, 14, is back in the finals after finishing in seventh place last year, when he was eliminated by “aurore.” An eighth grader from Los Angeles, Oliver enjoys reading The Economist and The Atlantic magazines, taking evening walks with his parents and playing piano. His favorite writer is the humorist David Sedaris, and his dream job is secretary of state.
Aiden Meng, 13, a seventh grader from Orinda, Calif., likes baseball, piano, debate and traveling abroad. His favorite animal is a lancet liver fluke, and his favorite song is “In the End” by Linkin Park.
Shrey Parikh, 14, returns to the finals after coming in third in 2024, when he was eliminated by “kanin.” An eighth grader from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Shrey plays chess and tennis, as well as percussion in his school band. His favorite movie is “The Goonies.”
Zwe Spacetime, 14, an eighth grader from Fort Washington, Md., is appearing in his first finals after finishing in 10th place last year. He is interested in physics, linguistics and reading, and his favorite game is Tetris. He is the younger brother of the 2021 champion, Zaila Avant-garde.
Ashley Ahn covers breaking news for The Times from New York.
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