Chandler eighth grader wins Arizona Spelling Bee, heads to nationals

Esha Marupudi, a 14-year-old eighth grader at BASIS Chandler, won the Arizona Spelling Bee on Saturday at Phoenix’s Madison Center for the Arts, successfully defending her title by correctly spelling “penicillate” in the final round.

Marupudi said she had never seen the winning word before but still managed to secure the Arizona championship and the opportunity to represent the state at the national level.

The competition featured 28 of Arizona’s top elementary and middle school spellers, who advanced through local and regional contests to reach the state finals on March 21. They were selected from more than 500,000 students who participated in spelling bees across the state.

Preliminary rounds took place in the morning, with finalists moving on to the afternoon championship rounds under Scripps National Spelling Bee rules.

Marupudi and second-place finisher Smriti Parajuli, a 14-year-old from Yuma, will represent Arizona at the Scripps National Spelling Bee, set for May 24–30 in the Washington, D.C., area.

Marupudi placed eighth at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2025. For her, even if she didn't win, the championship was about "meeting and making friends and just learning how to work for something,” Marupudi said.

'I’m just going to focus on my word'

The bee lasted about six hours and stretched over 20 rounds, with words growing increasingly difficult as the competition progressed.

Speaking with The Arizona Republic before and after the final rounds, Marupudi said her focus has remained straightforward.

“I’m just going to focus on my word,” she said. “I don’t have any control over anything else, just what I can do.”

“She is self-driven,” said her father, Sricharan Marupudi. “All I had to do was provide her the resources and environment to help her achieve her goals.”

Parajuli said she didn’t expect to advance as far as she did.

“I had no idea this would happen,” she said.

“She did everything by herself,” said her mother, Binita Parajuli, standing next to her husband, Suman.

The room grew quiet between rounds, filled only with faint whispers as students carefully worked through each word, asking for definitions and origins before responding.

Words like “Guavina” and “teliospore” proved challenging enough to eliminate some contestants as the field narrowed.

At the microphone, each speller paused briefly to collect themselves before spelling—one letter at a time.

Families in the audience watched closely, their reactions reflecting the tension on stage. Some quietly left after their child was eliminated, while others stayed to see the competition continue.

Correct answers often prompted small, restrained gestures—a clenched fist or hands to the face—while eliminations were met with quiet departures, with some spellers holding back tears as they left the stage.

“It functions like any other sport. Students dedicate hours of time and effort, and they build skills that last well beyond the competition,” said Emily Ramirez-Lara, senior director of programs and partnerships for the Arizona Educational Foundation, and spelling coordinator for the event.

And the spelling goes on

One finalist’s family said the preparation spanned several months.

“She’s just in fifth grade, so we never expected to be here,” said Primal Vincent, father of Serah Primal, who finished in the first half of the competition.

“Each day, about two and a half hours she was dedicating to spelling,” her mother, Roshni Joy, said. “It’s her perseverance and confidence that got her here.”

Even after falling short of the top spots, the focus remained on what comes next.

“Just be there,” said Primal.

Rey Covarrubias Jr. covers business and breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.