Submitted Photo Eighth grader Chilaka Ugobi of Our Redeemer’s Christian School in Minot holds his trophy after winning the North Dakota Spelling Bee Monday, March 23.

Chilaka Ugobi, an eighth grader at Our Redeemer’s Christian School in Minot, was declared champion of the North Dakota Spelling Bee after 14 rounds on Monday, March 23, in Bismarck. It was the second time he has won the state spelling bee, and he again will advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, set for May 26-28 in Washington, D.C.

His winning word was “eviscerate.”

Chilaka’s grand prize is an expense-paid trip for two to Washington from May 24-30, which includes the spelling bee. He also took home a trophy, gold medal, book store gift card and wireless noise cancelling earbuds. From Scripps, he received one-year subscriptions to Britannica Online Premium, Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online and News-O-Matic for his school.

Other words Chilaka spelled correctly leading up to his final word included sedge, schism, pituitary and behoove.

Chaitanya Gopi, a sixth grader at Dakota Montessori School in Fargo was runner-up, and Sam Edward Pasag, an eighth grader from Elgin/New Leipzig Elementary School took third. Fourth place went to Callen Gelsinger, an eighth grader at Hope Christian Academy in Dickinson.

The oral finals of the competition began with 26 competitors. Among the finalists were Cash Ray of Jim Hill Middle School in Minot, Ryan Bingham and Sophie Paulsen of McLean County, Jude Fitzgerald of Divide County, Kylee Monge and Kynlie Whetzel of Wells County and Amber Wilhelmy of Williams County.