Shrey Parikh, a 14-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, California, won the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday night, overcoming nerves and a technical glitch to dominate the spell-off tiebreaker. - He spelled 32 words correctly in 90 seconds, a record for the shootout-style finish.
- He defeated Ishaan Gupta, who spelled 25 words correctly. - Shrey finished third in 2024 and missed the 2025 bee after a surprising loss at his school bee due to illness.
- He is the 31st champion of Indian heritage in the last 37 years. The victory capped a remarkable comeback for Shrey, who rededicated himself to spelling after a disappointing school bee exit last year.
Despite criticism of the spell-off format from purists, Shrey's performance left no doubt about his deserving title.