LOCATION

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The 2021 Arizona State Spelling Bee will be held entirely online. Student must participate online and cannot participate from home. We will work with local spelling bee coordinators to secure you a site to take your test.

SCHEDULE

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9:00am - Speller Check-In and Technology Test

9:30am - 9:55am - Round 1: Scripps Online Testing Platform, break at 9:55am

10:10am - Participants Return from Break

TBD - Tie-Breaker - (If Necessary)

TBD - Round 2: Virtual Spelling Bee via Zoom - Immediately following any tie breakers.

TBD - Bee Ending - The bee will finish when a champion has been determined.

RESOURCES REQUIRED

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The Arizona Educational Foundation will work with you and your local school districts and spelling bee coordinators to acquire the following resources for you:

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• All spellers must have access to a reliable computer with operational camera, microphone, and reliable high-speed internet access.

• A headset is ideal as it allows the student to hear clearly and will help eliminate noise that could make it hard for judges to hear the participant's voice.

• All spellers must have a non-parent adult present in-person as a proctor. The proctor will be visible on camera monitoring the spellers computer screen and surroundings.

CHECK IN AND TECH TEST​

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All Spellers should log in to the provided Zoom link promptly at 9am. At that time the Spelling Bee Director will walk each participant through a quick technology test that includes being sure the camera is operational and that the microphone and audio is working clearly. All participants will then be sure they can properly log in to their Scripps Online Testing Platform account.

BEE STRUCTURE AND RULES​

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The 2021 Arizona State Spelling Bee is fully online and will occur in two rounds.

 

Round 1—Scripps Online Testing Platform: All spellers will log in to Zoom and be present on camera while taking the round 1 spelling test. Using the Scripps Online Testing Platform spellers will answer 50 spelling words. The time limit will be 25 minutes and time begins the moment the test is started. All students must have a non-parent adult proctor present and on camera during the entirety of their participation. Spellers do not select their proctor, this will be assigned with the help of county and/or school district personnel.

 

The Online Testing Platform will be “fill in the blank” with words selected by the Scripps computer system directly from the pronouncer guide. All participants receive the same words and take the same test. Just as in a verbal spelling bee, the platform does not require punctuation and will only be looking for the correct letters in the correct order.

The Online Testing Platform is designed to block all of the most commonly used spell checking software. Use of a spell checker either intentionally or unintentionally will result in disqualification.

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Advancing to Round 2: Upon completion of Round 1, scores will be tallied and the 10 highest scorers will advance to Round 2. All other spellers are eliminated from the competition. In the case that a tie results in more than one speller taking the #10 spot, we will accept up to 12 spellers in Round 2. In the rare occurrence that a multiple speller tie results in more than 12 top scores, a verbal spell-off will occur that follows the rules of the Round 2 competition until enough of the tied spellers are eliminated to result in a top 12.

 

Round 2—Virtual Bee via Zoom: Round 2 will begin with a practice round in which all spellers will have the opportunity to spell a word and get used to the virtual experience. The second round consists of a virtual spelling bee that utilizes the official Scripps spelling bee rules for in-person bees. All communication will be done remotely through Zoom. Words will be read from the Arizona State Spelling Bee pronouncer and a team of judges will be on hand. The bee will be recorded for later viewing.

Round 2 follows the official Scripps rules posted at www.spellingbee.com/rules.

 

Champion: The Arizona State Spelling Bee Champion will advance to the Scripps National Finals. This year Scripps has decided that the first rounds of their national competition will occur virtually. A national top-15 will then be invited to Washington, DC for an in-person final.

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PRIZE PACKAGE

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1st Place, Arizona State Spelling Bee Champion

• Customized 1st Place Trophy (with your name on it)

• $200 Amazon gift card OR have travel expenses paid to attend Scripps National Spelling Bee should the Arizona State Spelling Bee Champion advance through the online Scripps National Spelling Bee rounds and be invited to participate in person.

  • This prize is subject to change dependent on new or changing information regarding the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee structure.​

• Gifts from Scripps 

  • The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award - a 2021 United States Mint Proof Set​

  • A one year subscription to Britannica Online Premium

  • A one year subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online

• 2021 Arizona State Spelling Bee T-Shirt

• 2021 Arizona State Spelling Bee Medal

• Dictionary of Cultural Literacy

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2nd Place

• Customized 2nd Place Trophy (with your name on it)

• $100 Amazon gift card

• 2021 Arizona State Spelling Bee T-Shirt

• 2021 Arizona State Spelling Bee Medal

• Dictionary of Cultural Literacy

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3rd Place

• Customized 3rd Place Trophy (with your name on it)

• $50 Amazon gift card

• 2021 Arizona State Spelling Bee T-Shirt

• 2021 Arizona State Spelling Bee Medal

• Dictionary of Cultural Literacy

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All Participants

• 2021 Arizona State Spelling Bee T-Shirt

• 2021 Arizona State Spelling Bee Medal

• Dictionary of Cultural Literacy

SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE​

 

The 2021 Arizona State Spelling Bee Champion will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee as our state representative. This year, the National Spelling Bee has been moved primarily online, with the top 10 to 12 spellers being invited to attend an in-person final competition held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports facility in Walt Disney World.

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The Scripps press release announcing this news can be read here: SCRIPPS PRESS RELEASE

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