National Spelling Bee Champion Kavya Shivashankar , 13, holds up her trophy with the help of E.W. Scipps Company CEO Richard A. Boehne. Her win came after spelling "Laodicean," meaning lukewarm or indifferent in religion or politics.
Richard A. Lipski-The Washington Post
After misspelling "Maecenas," Tim Ruiter, of Centreville, Va., listens to the correct spelling. Shortly after, Shivashankar(in background) correctly spelled her word to win. Ruiter was the runner-up.
Richard A. Lipski-The Washington Post
Kavya Shivashankar mimics writing out a word on her hand during the final round of the championship.
Richard A. Lipski-The Washington Post
Shivashankar receives a hug from her mother, Sandhya, and her sister, Vanya (bottom right), as her father, Mirle, watches following her win. It was Shivashankar's fourth visit to the championship.
Richard A. Lipski-The Washington Post
Neetu Chandak, 13, celebrates after correctly spelling "perciatelli" during the bee's fifth round on Thursday.
Bill O'leary-The Washington Post
Kennyi Aouad, right, of Terre Haute, Ind., gets a supportive handshake from his older brother, Emmanuel Aouad, during a break.
Bill O'leary-The Washington Post
Bee contestants and their families watch the competition on monitors outside the main ballroom.
Bill O'leary-The Washington Post
Veronica Perry, of Ontario, Canada, covers her eyes as she concentrates. She was eliminated after mispelling "macle."
Bill O'leary-The Washington Post
Avvinash Radakrishnan, of Manchester, New Hampshire, gets a pep talk from his father, Balaji.
Bill O'leary-The Washington Post
Aouad, right, gets enthusiastic congratulations from his fellow contestants after successfully spelling "voussoir."
Bill O'leary-The Washington Post
Timothy Webb, 12, of Newbury, Vt., shrugs after spelling "russet" correctly during round 2.
Bill O'Leary-The Washington Post
Rahil M. Patel of Richlands, Va., listens to his word while other contestants line up behind him.
Bill O'Leary-The Washington Post
Contestants struggle to stay alert as the contest drags on. This year's field is the largest ever.
Bill O'Leary-The Washington Post
Kun Jacky Qiao, 12, celebrates after getting "rasgado" right during round 3.
Bill O'Leary-The Washington Post
Margie Christ, right, waits for her turn in the spotlight during round 3. Forty-one of the spellers survived the preliminary rounds and will appear on national television Thursday.
Bill O'Leary-The Washington Post
Lauren Kirk of Bloomington, Ind., struggles over a word.
Alex Wong-Getty Images
Bob McFall, left, of West Farmington, Ohio, and Randy Evans of Albuquerque, N.M., photograph their children during the bee.
Alex Wong-Getty Images
Rachel Dawn Bayless of Burkburnett, Texas, spells a word.
Alex Wong-Getty Images
Gallery Credits:
Photo Editor Dee Swann
Text Editor Mike McPhate
