Shrey Parikh is the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion, clinching victory in a spell-off.
During the spell-off, each competitor had 90 seconds to complete as many words as possible.
Parikh correctly spelled 32 words in the final rapid-fire round, while second place finisher Ishaan Gupta spelled 25 words correctly.
Parikh’s victory secures him a $50,000 prize and the coveted Scripps Cup.
Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
14-year-old Parikh attended the bee from Day Creek Intermediate School in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
Parikh’s hobbies outside of spelling include tennis, reading, math and chess. He is a percussionist in his school band.
He also qualified for the California state Mathcounts competition in 2026.
Parikh tied for 89th place in the 2022 Scripps Spelling Bee and tied for 3rd place in 2024. He lost a qualifying round at his school in 2025 while fighting a fever, but put up dominant spelling accuracy during early rounds online this year.
