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Meet the Eight Adorable Nerds Who Just Made National Spelling Bee History

For the first time in Scripps National Spelling Bee’s nearly century-long history, eight children have tied for the prize—and they’ll each go home with their own $50,000 check and a savings bond.

By Laura Bradley

May 31, 2019

If you hear that knuckle-cracking sound in the distance, that would be the Scripps National Spelling Bee preparing to write a whole bunch of checks—eight, to be specific. On Thursday, for the first time in the competition’s 92-year history, eight children tied for the top prize. And so, each of these adorable nerds will go home with a full $50,000 in winnings, as have tied winners in the past. From its tweet following the unprecedented eight-way tie, it seems Scripps is confident it’s good for the money.

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The final round of the competition lasted 15 minutes. Rishik Gandhasri, a seventh grader from San Jose, California, whose hobbies include playing the saxophone, was the first to be declared a champion. His winning word? “Auslaut,” which he spelled carefully after requesting all related information. He placed 25th last year.

Next was Erin Howard, an eighth grader from Huntsville, Alabama, who will be performing in the 2020 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, Ireland. When she heard her final word, “erysipelas,” it was immediately clear she knew how to spell it—but even so, she verified the word’s origins, pronunciation, and more before correctly spelling it out. She is the second-ever spelling bee champion from the state of Alabama.

Saketh Sundar, from Clarksville, Maryland, was next. The eighth grader says he listens to TED talks in his free time, and won with the word “bougainvillea.” Upon completing the word, he ran back to his seat to sit down amid the rapturous applause. His excitement was understandable; he’s the first-ever champion from the state of Maryland.

Shruthika Padhy came next, as the moderators discussed just how historic this day already was. There have only been four ties in the bee’s history, all of them merely two-way. The first came in 1950, and the years 2014 through 2016 all saw a pair of co-champions who each took home the prize in full. (For those wondering, the take-home from the Scripps National Spelling Bee includes a $50,000 check, a $2,500 savings bond, and some free reference books.) Padhy, too, seemed to understand the importance of the moment as she carefully spelled out her word: “aiguillette.”

Next up: Sohum Sukhatankar, a seventh grader who already won the 2018 South Asian Spelling Bee. He won with the word “pendeloque.” He high-fived each of his fellow contestants after spelling the word correctly. Both he and Abhijay Kodali, whose word was “palama,” hail from Texas. Kodali, the commentators pointed out, finished third last year.

Next up: Christopher Serrao, who, like Padhy, hails from New Jersey. He won with the word “cernuous.” And then, finally, came __Rohan Raja,__13, the third Texan co-champion. His winning word? “Odylic.”

This year 562 spellers made it to the national competition, whittled down from the usual 11 million kids who begin their competitions in classrooms across the country. Nine sets of siblings competed together this year; two of the pairs were twins. The champions usually make the rounds on various daytime and late-night talk shows, so brace yourself for some delightfully geeky televised group hangs very soon.