Arizona Spelling Bee 2018

Each year, the state’s best spellers in grades K-8 come together for the Arizona Spelling Bee to determine who will represent Arizona in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. Hosted by Arizona PBS and the Arizona Educational Foundation, the Arizona Spelling Bee is taped at the Arizona PBS studios on the downtown Phoenix campus of Arizona State University.

Marcus Giorza, a seventh-grader from Phoenix, is this year’s state winner. He and an escort will receive an all-expense paid trip to our nation’s capital to compete with spellers from across the United States in the Scripps National Spelling Bee on May 27– June 1, 2018.

Bobbie O’Boyle, Executive Director of the Arizona Educational Foundation, has administered the Arizona Spelling Bee for 18 years, but she plans for the 2018 competition to be her last. “My favorite memory was having to physically catch a champion as he swooned after spelling his final word to win the bee. To say he was overwhelmed is an understatement! Meeting all the spellers, all from diverse geographic and demographic settings and backgrounds has been my greatest joy. Hearing about their dreams for the future has provided me with hope.”