Dozens of students are buzzing with excitement as NSW’s top primary school spellers go to battle hoping to be crowned the winner of the NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee.

Some 60 students have spelled their way into the finals, being held today at Q Theatre in Penrith, with words such as ‘fascinate’, ‘anemometer’, ‘allegory’ and ‘sovereign’.

The 2024 Premier’s Spelling Bee final will be contested by 30 students in Years 3 and 4 (junior) and 30 students in Years 5 and 6 (senior). Along the way these students have beaten a combined 1800 students in a series of regional heats to reach the finals.

Finalists include Hunter siblings Anica and Calvin N, from Biddabah Public School, and Anika and Anushka Iyengar, from Maryland Public School.

Anica and Anika, both in Year 3, will go head-to-head in the junior Spelling Bee, and their siblings Calvin, Year 5 and Anushka, Year 6, will compete in the senior Spelling Bee later in the day.

This year’s competition will also see the return of 2023 junior finalists, Year 4 student Bobby (Bogdan) Ivaneza from Annandale Public School and Year 5 Coonabarabran Public School student William Weatherall. Bobby and William will compete in the 2024 senior final.

The 2024 Spelling Bee’s participation has increased by almost 10 per cent on last year, with nearly two-thirds of NSW public primary schools competing.

Regional areas are well-represented with students travelling to Sydney from Temora, Dungowan, Griffith, Yamba and Mullumbimby to compete.

Yamba Public School in northern NSW has had students compete in the finals five times in the past eight years, with this year’s entrant Year 5 student Willow Allen.

More than 1800 students competed in 60 regional finals over a 10-day period to reach the state finals. Of these, 303 students (200 juniors and 103 seniors) speak a language other than English at home, and 95 students (46 juniors and 49 seniors) identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said:

“Reading, writing and spelling are foundational skills for young learners, and this spelling bee gives some of our brightest students a chance to show their spelling skills while having a bit of fun.

“Students who are good spellers are often avid readers, and if we can get our children reading more through initiatives such as the Premier’s Reading Challenge, that’s an excellent outcome.”

Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:

“The Spelling Bee shows just how inclusive our public education system is – any student, regardless of where they live, can compete and be a contender for the top honours.

“As Minister for Western Sydney, I am thrilled this year’s competition is being held at Q Theatre in Penrith for the first time.”