An Indian American teenager from California, USA, named Shrey Parikh emerged as the winner of the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee, reflecting the stellar performances of Indian-origin participants in the contest. With 32 correct spellings in 90 seconds, he defeated Ishaan Gupta, the runner-up, in the spell-off. Shrey, who had participated in the championship twice before, was awarded prize money of $52,500 along with other rewards. With his victory, Shrey became the 31st Indian-origin winner of the competition in the past 37 editions. Shrey studies at Day Creek Intermediate School in California, USA. Apart from spelling, he has many other interests, including music.
