By: Cindy Pu

On May 30, 2024, Bruhat Soma, a seventh grader from Tampa, Florida won the 2024 Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, Maryland. Bruhat crushed the tiebreaker round by spelling 29 words correctly in 90 seconds.

The winning word was “abseil,” a word used in the sport of mountaineering. This year was Bruhat’s third time attending this spelling bee. In 2022, he tied for 163rd place, and last year, he placed 74th place.

Bruhat said he was “excited” about winning the spelling bee. “I’ve been working really hard, so I just put a lot of time into spelling,” he said. “I’m really happy that I won. Like, I really can’t describe it. I’m still shaking.”

16-year-old speller Sam Evans was Bruhat’s spelling coach. Sam confirmed that Bruhat really did put a lot of effort and hard work into winning the spelling bee. “I’m very happy that I could use my experience to help him, but at the end of the day, it’s all about his hard work and his dedication,” Evans said. “I’m so happy for him.”

Bruhat was awarded a prize that included $50,000, reference materials, and a trophy. The trophy was presented by Adam Symson, CEO of The E. W. Scripps Company, who said that he was impressed with Bruhat’s knowledge and composure.