National Spelling Bee ends in a tie, again
For the third year in a row, the Scripps National Spelling Bee ended in a tie. This year's precocious co-champions are Jairam Hathaway, the 13-year-old younger brother of 2014 co-champion Sriram Hathaway, and 11-year-old Nihar Janga, the youngest National Spelling Bee winner yet.
The finale was a nail-biter, as far as spelling out loud goes — each finalist misspelled two words, until Jairam spelled "Feldenkrais" correctly and Nihar followed up with "gesellschaft," both of which are apparently real words.
Each spelling champ will get $45,000 in cash and prizes, and each will get a trophy.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.