Meet the 7 Maryland students competing in the 2026 National Spelling Bee
Seven Maryland students are among the 247 competitors vying for the top prize in the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The first spelling bee was held in 1925. This year, the 111th event drew contestants from 50 states (and D.C.), three U.S. territories and five other countries.
About a dozen spellers will advance to the finals, with the last two competitors facing off in a spell-off tiebreaker round.
7 Maryland students in National Spelling Bee
The Maryland students who are competing in the spelling bee are between the ages of 11 and 14. They include:
- Bindi Ray, 12, of Towson, Maryland
- Ethan Atanga, 14, of La Plata, Maryland
- Lauren Merillana, 14, of Bethesda, Maryland
- Megan Barrientos, 14, of Princess Anne, Maryland
- Quint Karlsson, 14, of Annapolis, Maryland
- Thanvi Gatamaneni, 13, of Columbia, Maryland
- Vivaan Chintawar, 11, of Frederick, Maryland
Last week, Gatamaneni told WJZ that she was grateful to those who have supported her journey to the national bee.
"That moment when I won, I felt extremely happy, euphoric," Gatamaneni said. "I couldn't believe that I was going to the National Spelling Bee. It's been a dream of mine since I was little."
Ray also competed in the 2025 spelling bee, telling WJZ last year that she knew 5,000 words and wasn't planning to stop there.
"I feel like with all the speller checks that are everywhere nowadays, people don't really care about spelling and even grammar anymore, but the spelling bee helps remind people how fun spelling and words could be," Ray said.
Winning the National Spelling Bee
In 2025, 13-year-old Faizan Zaki, from Texas, won the spelling bee with the word éclaircissement, a noun defined as the "clearing up of something obscure."
The winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee will get a custom trophy and more than $50,000 in prizes. First place will receive $52,500 in cash, second place will receive $25,000 and third place will receive $15,000.
All the finalists and fourth through sixth place winners will also receive a cash prize.
