26 Aug Aussie Kids swarm to PM’s Spelling Bee in record numbers
Almost 50,000 students have already signed up for the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee. That’s more than double the number of students from years 3 to 8 who took part last year, showcasing their word skills in the online national competition, run by News Corp Australia’s free classroom literacy site, kidsnews.com.au. School rounds have started already.
The national winners in each category will be rewarded with a special trip to Canberra to meet the Prime Minister, and also will receive an iPad, a $250 HarperCollins book pack, as well as a $1000 voucher for their school to buy books, technology and other equipment.
Hundreds of schools have signed up with more students from Victoria taking part than any other state. Kids News editor Kamahl Cogdon said she was thrilled to see so many students ready to battle it out to highlight their word skills.
The Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee is a national spelling competition for school children from Years 3 to 8 that aims to promote and encourage students’ oral and written literacy and spelling skills.
The 2021 national winners were:
- Arielle Wong from Donvale Christian College, VIC (Year 3/4 category)
- Theekshitha Karthik from Haileybury College, VIC (Year 5/6 category)
- Evan Luc-Tran from The McDonald College, NSW (Year 7/8 category)
All participants had 15 minutes to spell 30 words, with the winners determined by the accuracy and speed of submitting their answers online.
“This is a safe environment for students to practise their language skills, which has been proven to be a foundation for lifelong success,” Ms Cogdon said. “It’s wonderful to see that students are ready to challenge themselves.”
2022 State and territory finals will be held on Thursday, September 1, and Friday, September 2, with the national final on Thursday, September 8.
Main Image: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gets a few tips from last year’s Spelling Bee winners Theekshitha Karthik, 12, and Arielle Wong, 11. Picture: David Caird
