Indian-American teen Dev Shah wins 2023 National Spelling Bee

Of the eleven finalists in the 95th Scripps National Spelling Bee, ten are of Indian origin

By Geeta Goindi

National Harbor, Maryland, June 2, 2023 – In one of the most widely viewed and eagerly awaited competitions, an Indian-American whizkid, Dev Shah, 14, of Largo, Florida, has been crowned champion of the 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The contest Thursday marked another triumph for the Indian diaspora — the Spelling Bee has been dominated by children of Indian heritage who have earned the coveted championship trophy in 22 of the past 24 years. In the current edition, they constituted ten of the eleven finalists, emerging from an original pool of some 11 million spellers – a remarkable feat given that Indian-Americans make up just 1.35 percent of the US population.

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The winning word was ‘Psammophile’ (an organism that prefers or thrives in sandy soils or areas) for Dev, an eighth grader at Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School. He received a cash prize of $50,000 with the Bee’s engraved trophy and commemorative medal, $2,500 and a complete reference library from Merriam-Webster, and $400 of reference works from Encyclopedia Britannica, among other rewards.

On being pronounced the winner, Dev put his hands over his face trying to register the feeling of elation he was clearly experiencing, even as celebratory confetti fell all around him. “It’s surreal…. My legs are still shaking”, he said clutching the championship trophy presented by Adam Symson, president and CEO of the E.W. Scripps Company. 

Among the words he spelled correctly in the championship rounds were ‘schistorrhachis’, ‘tolsester’, ‘aegagrus’, ‘rommack’, and ‘bathypitotmeter’, the second-to-last word with lightning speed.

It was his third time participating in the prestigious competition: in 2019, he tied for 51st place and in 2021, he tied for 76th place, So, it’s been quite a journey for this super speller who, in his spare time from spelling, loves to read, plays tennis and the cello, and solves math problems.

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“Dev proved his mettle tonight”, Symson said. “His determined focus was captivating – a true reflection of his preparation and poise”.

“The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a familiar American experience that inspires and moves us all – it shines a spotlight on camaraderie, learning and language. As the longtime steward of this nearly 100-year-old tradition, Scripps is proud to celebrate Dev and all the young leaders who took the stage this week”, Symson added.

Charlotte Walsh of Arlington, Virginia, finished second in the competition. An eighth grader representing Fairfax County Council PTA, she was awarded $25,000.

Surya Kapu, 13, of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Shradha Rachamreddy, 13, of San Ramon, California, tied for third place and each received $12,500.

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The Spelling Bee, held for the second consecutive year in-person at the Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center in National Harbor since the Covid-19 pandemic, began Tuesday morning with 231 spellers. By Wednesday evening, this number had dwindled to eleven finalists: Dhruv Subramanian, 12, Vikrant Chintanaboina, 14, and Shradha Rachamreddy, all three hailing from San Ramon, California; Arth Dalsania, 14, of Thousand Oaks, California; Aryan Khedkar, 12, of Waterford, Michigan; Sarah Fernandes, 11, of Omaha, Nebraska; Pranav Anandh, 14, of Morton, Pennsylvania; Tarini Nandakumar, 12, of Austin, Texas; Surya Kapu, Charlotte Walsh, and Dev Shah.