Indian Americans did it again when Faizan Zaki, a 13-year-old speller from Allen, Texas, won the 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelled “éclaircissement,” which is defined as “the clearing up of something obscure: enlightenment.”
The final moments of the 97th Scripps National Spelling Bee at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, were filled with suspense. Zaki, who finished second last year, made a surprising error earlier in the night, but got another shot when the spellers he’d let back in faltered. He ultimately outlasted eight finalists to win in round 21.
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“Faizan exemplified the determination that defines a champion,” said Adam Symson, president and CEO of The E.W. Scripps Company after presenting the championship trophy to Zaki. “His unwavering focus and preparation led to a well-earned victory tonight on the Bee’s largest stage.”
“In this landmark 100th year of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Scripps is honored to celebrate Faizan’s extraordinary achievement as well as the spellers throughout the Bee’s history who continue to inspire millions. Their stories remind us of the shared joy in cheering for their success, reinforcing the Bee’s legacy as a beloved tradition that, for a century, has championed connection, resilience and the limitless potential of young minds.”
This was Zaki’s fourth time participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. A 7th grader at C.M. Rice Middle School, he finished second in 2024 in a spell-off to Bruhat Soma. Zaki is only the fifth speller in Bee history to win after coming in second place the year before. He tied for 21st place in 2023 and 370th place in 2019. He was sponsored by the Dallas Sports Commission.
He receives from Scripps a $50,000 cash prize, commemorative medal and the Scripps Cup, the official championship trophy of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
In addition he gets a $2,500 cash prize and reference library from the Bee’s dictionary partner Merriam-Webster and a $400 of reference works, including a 1768 Encyclopædia Britannica Replica Set and a three-year membership to Britannica Online Premium from Encyclopædia Britannica. He also gets $1,000 Scholastic Dollars to be donated to the school of the champion’s choice in their honor and five-year subscription to News-O-Matic’s K-8 news platform awarded to the champion’s school.
Sarvadnya Kadam of Visalia, California, representing Tulare County Office of Education, placed second in the competition and will receive $25,000.
Sarv Dharavane, an 11-year-old fifth-grader from Dunwoody, Georgia, who finished third representing Georgia Association of Educators, will receive $15,000. He would have been the youngest champion since Nihar Janga in 2016. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
The most poised and mature of the final three, Sarvadnya — who’s from Visalia, California — ends his career as the runner-up. He’s 14 and in the eighth grade, which means he has aged out of the competition. It’s not a bad way to go out, considering that Faizan became just the fifth runner-up in a century to come back and win, and the first since Sean Conley in 2001.
Including Zaki, whose parents emigrated from southern India, 30 of the past 36 champions have been Indian American, a run that began with Nupur Lala’s victory in 1999, which was later featured in the documentary “Spellbound.”
In honor of the centennial, dozens of past champions attended this year and signed autographs for spellers, families and bee fans.