Spelling Bee

Specific Rules for Spelling Competition

The format for the Spelling Bee will be as follows:

1. The competition will be an oral spelling bee. All participants will meet in the designated Zoom link at the specified time for the oral spelling bee.
2. When entering the Zoom session, students should have their full name on the screen, video on, and muted.
3. The word will be pronounced according to the diacritical markings in Webster's Third New International Dictionary (unabridged). The word will then be used in a sentence, and it will be pronounced again.
4. Students will stand and back away from their computer when it is their turn to spell. This is done to ensure the integrity of the competition.
5. The participant will say the word, spell the word, and say the word again.
6. Judges may not disqualify a speller for failing to pronounce a word either before or after the spelling.
7. If the word is not spoken by the student after spelling the word, the student will be asked to say the word and then the judge will make the determination of whether the word has been spelled correctly.
8. If the student feels he/she has made a mistake, he/she may request to "start over." If letters or their sequence are changed in the respelling, the speller will be eliminated.
9. A contestant is allowed only 30 seconds to spell a word. The judges may disqualify any contestant who ignores a request to start spelling.
10. Upon missing the spelling of a word, the speller will keep their video on and muted until the round is complete. If any of the remaining spellers spell their words correctly, then the spellers who missed their words will be asked to turn off their video at the end of the round.
11. If none of the spellers remaining in the bee at the start of a round spells a word correctly during the round, all spellers will remain in the contest. All of the spellers eliminated in the same round will be tied for the same place.
12. If at the end of a round only ONE speller has spelled her/his word correctly, then that speller will be declared the winner and earn first place. All of the other spellers in that round will earn second place.
13. If at the end of a round ONLY TWO contestants remain, the competition will proceed as follows: The winner will be the contestant who spells a word correctly that the other contestant misses, plus one additional word. When both miss a word in the same round, each is still in the competition.
14. Judges' decisions will be final.
15. If more than one spelling is listed for a word in the official Webster's Dictionary, any of these spellings shall be accepted as correct if the word either matches the pronunciation and definition provided by the pronouncer or if it is clearly identified as being a standard variant of the word the contestant has been asked to spell. If a word has one or more homonyms, the pronouncer will indicate which word is to be spelled.
16. Any questions relating to the spelling of a word must be referred to the judges immediately by the speller or the speller’s coach before completion of the round in progress. No protest can be entertained after a round is completed. Only contestants or their coach may question the spelling of a word. The judges are in control and their decision is final in all situations.
17. All spectators are asked to keep their videos off and mute themselves upon entering the Zoom link. This will help eliminate distractions, keep the students focused, and allow the judges hear the spellers more clearly.
18. Eliminated contestants and their families/supporters should remain in the Zoom session until the end of each round. It is very distracting to the contestants when people enter or exit the during the competition. Eliminated spellers and families/supporters are welcome to stay and finish watching the spelling bee.

Again, please remember that this is to be a form of friendly competition. The students are striving to do their best and to gain confidence in front of an audience. The audience has one function, which is to provide positive support for the event. The decisions of the judges are final.