Zaila Avant-garde wins 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
After correctly spelling "murraya" — "a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees having pinnate leaves and flowers with imbricated petals" — Zaila Avant-garde was crowned the winner of the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Earlier in the Thursday night event, the 14-year-old from New Orleans also aced spelling "depreter," "ancistroid," and "retene." Chaitra Thummala, 12, of San Francisco came in second place, with Bhavana Madini, 13, of New York City finishing in third. Avant-garde is the first African American to win the bee, The Washington Post reports; in 1998, Jody-Anne Maxwell of Jamaica became the first Black champ.
The bee was canceled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, for the first time since 1945, and safety was paramount this time around. The preliminary rounds were all held virtually, and during the in-person finals in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, the participants all wore masks when not at the microphone, their chairs socially distanced.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Most of the people in the small audience were the spellers' relatives, with one guest of distinction — first lady Jill Biden, who shared that she was "too scared to get up in front of everyone" during her sixth grade spelling bee. The kids competing this year "have so much courage," she said, "and I really admire them."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Laurence Fox suspended by GB News after 'unacceptable' Ava Evans comments
Broadcaster issues apology after actor goes on a tirade during a live interview with Dan Wootton
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
The daily business briefing: September 27, 2023
Business Briefing The FTC accuses Amazon of running an illegal online monopoly, Biden visits auto workers on picket line, and more
By Harold Maass Published
-
Seaham Hall review: serenity on the coast in County Durham
The Week Recommends Former haunt of Lord Byron is pure poetry when it comes to spa options in the north-east
By Jamie Timson, The Week UK Published
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in Morocco
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published