Scripps National Spelling Bee: The Los Altos, So. Bay Contestants

LOS ALTOS, CA — The 92nd annual Scripps National Spelling Bee is nearly here and a Los Altos and other South Bay whiz kids plan to compete this year. More than 560 children from all 50 states will vie for a shot at becoming the nation’s preeminent speller.

Preliminary multiple-choice tests will be held May 27. Onstage spelling competitions will be held all day the following Tuesday and Wednesday, with finalists competing May 30. No more than 50 spellers will advance to the finals Thursday.

Interested viewers can watch every word Wednesday on the Watch ESPN app. On Thursday, finalists will begin spelling on stage at 10 a.m. Eastern Time and this part of the competition will air live on ESPN 2. After the field is narrowed down to roughly a dozen finalists, ESPN will air the spelling bee finals live Thursday night.

The event will be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. The champion will receive a $50,000 prize.

Here is the contestant from Los Altos:

• NAME: Ben Samek
  • Age: 12
  • Grade: 6th
  • Speller number: 19
  • Town: Los Altos
  • School: Bullis Charter School

Contestants in neighboring Silicon Valley communities:

• NAME: Rishik Gandhasri
  • Age: 13
  • Grade: 7th
  • Speller number: 5
  • Town: San Jose
  • School: Chaboya Middle School
• NAME: Soham Kulkarni
  • Age: 12
  • Grade: 6th
  • Speller number: 3
  • Town: Santa Clara
  • School: Don Callejon School

—Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.