Spelling Bee Competition Rules

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Age (Grade) Groups

  • 5th Grade
  • 4th Grade 
  • 3rd Grade 
  • 2nd Grade
  • 1st Grade 
  • Kindergarten 

Languages: English

Before you register, please read the sections below.

Maximum Registrations we accept: No Limits

 

Overview

  • Competitions are by grade (Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade).
  • The grades must be the current school grade that the child is in.
  • Parents are not allowed to stay near the contestant during any part of the competition.
  • Word bank will not be published.
  • A contestant may request to have the word pronounced again or ask for a definition, language origin, parts of speech, or a usage of the word in a sentence. This information will not be provided by the pronouncer unless requested by the contestant.
  • If a word has one or more homonyms (words that sound the same but are spelled differently, eg: there and their), the pronouncer will indicate which word is to be spelled, by defining the word and using it in a sentence.
  • In case of dispute, the Official dictionary for KANE Malhar Spelling Bee competition will be The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (https://www.merriam-webster.com/) .
  • Judge’s decisions are final.

PART I - Written Test

  1. All the contestants in a grade category will be asked to write the same 15 words.
  2. Each contestant will be given a sheet with 15 blank rows. The rows will be numbered from 1 through 15. The contestants should write the words in the appropriate line based on the order.
  3. The contestant will have 10 seconds to write each word after the word has been pronounced.
  4. Contestants are responsible for bringing their own pencils and erasers.
  5. Contestants are responsible for writing their chest number and name on the sheet. The chest number will be provided when they check in at the front desk on the event date.
  6. Contestants are expected to write clearly and legibly. Unclear and/or illegible writing might result in misinterpretation and spelling deemed incorrect.
  7. One point will be awarded for each correct spelling, and no point for incorrect spelling. There are NO partial credits and NO negative points for any incorrect answer.
  8. All sheets should be returned at the end of the contest.
  9. NOTE: Only the top 10 contestants will advance to Part II.
     

PART II - Oral / On Stage

 

  1. Each contestant according to his/her/their turn, will pick a number from the lot. The Pronouncer will then read the word to the contestant.
  2. After the Pronouncer says the word, the contestant will have 15 seconds to spell the word, and then repeat the word to confirm that they have finished spelling.
  3. There will be 5 rounds of spelling for each contestant.
  4. The contestant will be awarded one point for the correct answer and zero for an incorrect answer.
  5. A round is complete when all the contestants have had a turn to spell their given word.

Results

  • The scores from Part I will be added to Part II.
  • Based on the combined scores of Part I & II, the judges will determine the winners.
  • The contestant with the highest score will be declared the winner.

Tie-breakers

  • After tabulation of scores out of a total of 20 (15 from Part I, and 5 from Part II), if there is a tie, the scheme outlined below is followed in the order given below, to break the ties:

    Part I score among words 1-15
    Part I score among words 10-15
    Part I score among words 5-10
    Part I score among words 1-5
  • If there is still a tie, KANE will use additional rounds to break the tie, or award joint ranks at the final discretion of the judges/Malhar team.

 

General Rules & Regulations

  1. Separate competition for each age group. 
  2. KANE reserves the right to request a copy of the participant’s birth certificate or school ID for age verification (if required).
  3. Grade of the contestant must be as of January 1st of the current year.
  4. Participant must register online before the registration end date and obtain a confirmation number from KANE via e-mail.
  5. KANE reserves the right to distribute or publish your work in print, social, visual, or any such media post-event.
  6. KANE reserves the right to photograph and/or video record the event. We may publish such photos/videos post-event.
  7. Violation of any of the above rules may result in disqualification of the contestant.

Note:

Official judges feedback and comments shall not be publicly disclosed or distributed by the organization. Participants may approach the judges for personal feedback following the event; however, providing such feedback is entirely at the judges’ discretion.