Sponsorship for the Adult Spelling Bee can be made at four levels:

Queen Bee (Presenting Sponsor) - $5,000 (limited to two non-competing businesses)

Bumble Bee Sponsor - $2,500

Honey Bee Sponsor - $1,000

Mason Bee Sponsor - $500

For more information on each sponsorship level, click here.

Ready to commit to sponsorship?  

Click Here!

RULES

All words will be pronounced and defined according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

After the preliminary round, the emcee will pronounce a word, give the definition, use the word in a sentence, and pronounce the word again prior to spellers’ responses. The clock starts as soon as the emcee finishes the sequence.

Teams may not use phones, computers, or any sort of reference materials during the Spelling Bee.

There will be one timekeeper and 3 spelling judges. The decisions of the judges are final.  There will be no appeals.

COMPETITION FORMAT

Preliminary Round

The first round will be a speed round. Each individual speller will spell a word aloud.

Standard Rounds

Each team will have 30 seconds to spell each word by writing it on a white board distributed to the team.

All teams must immediately stop writing when the timer sounds and the emcee directs the teams to show the spelled word.

• Any team that does not hold up its board when the timer sounds will be considered as misspelling the word.
• Any team continuing to write after time is called or attempting to change the word as written on the board will be counted as misspelling a word.
• If the word is illegible or if letters are ambiguous, the word will be treated as misspelled.

If a word is spelled incorrectly, the team is eliminated from the competition unless the team (or a supporter) pays $50 before the beginning of the next word. No team can purchase more than one buyback during the competition.

Eliminated teams are encouraged to continue to engage in the competition by showing their verbal support for another team (without helping them spell!) or writing messages on their white boards to share with spectators.

Championship Round

When there are two teams remaining, the competition will transition to the Championship Round.  This round will be conducted in an individual oral spelling format, still with a 30 second time limit.

The final 8 participants will line up at the microphone – alternating by team – and will be challenged with one word at a time. The participant will pronounce the word, spell it, and repeat the word to signify they have completed their spelling.

When a participant spells a word correctly within the 30 second timeframe, they will move to the end of the line.  When a participant spells a word incorrectly (or fails to complete the spelling of a word in 30 seconds), they are eliminated from the competition.

If all four participants from one team are eliminated while more than one participant from the other team still stands, the team with spellers remaining will be declared the winner.

If the competition ends in a 1:1 spell-off between one remaining speller from each team, there will be no more than 5 rounds. If a finalist misspells a word, the other finalist has a chance to spell the same word, and if they spell it correctly, that team wins!

If after 5 rounds, there is no clear winner, the competition will be declared a tie, and the two winning teams will share the title and prize of Smart Start Adult Spelling Bee Champion.

Each team will consist of four (4) members, including one team captain who will be the primary contact for event organizers.

All team members will be adults (18+).

The entry fee for each team will be $250.

We encourage creativity with team names and costumes!

A prize will be given to the audience’s choice of best dressed team.

An additional prize will be given to the team with the largest fan base!

Register Your Team Here

Your $50 spectator ticket will include the following:

• Heavy hors d’oeuvres by Everyday Gourmet
• 1 drink ticket (beer, wine, or non-alcoholic cocktail)
  • Cash bar available for additional beverages.
• 1 point for the team of your choice
  • The team with the largest fan base will win a prize!
• 1 vote for best dressed team
  • Additional votes can be purchased at the event.
• An entertaining showdown of Henderson County’s best adult spellers!

All proceeds will benefit Smart Start Partnership for Children.

Purchase Tickets Here