BISMARCK — Minot and area students will be among 99 students from across North Dakota competing in the 2026 North Dakota State Spelling Bee on Monday, March 23, at the Bismarck Event Center.

The students include:

Ward County — Cash Ray, Jim Hill Middle School; and Chilaka Ugobi, Our Redeemer’s Christian School, both eighth graders from Minot.

Bottineau County — Ryder Peterson, seventh grader; and Ember Lunde, eighth grader, both from Bottineau Public School.

Burke County — Rylan Martens, seventh grader, Bowbells Public School; and Kinley Brown, eighth grader, Powers Lake School.

Divide County — Jaxon Hendrickson, seventh grader; and Jude Fitzgerald, eighth grader, both Divide County High School.

McHenry County — Karly Siebuhr, eighth grader, Velva Public School; and Nicholas Long, eighth grader, TGU Granville School.

McKenzie County — Jacob Reeves, eighth grader, Watford City Middle School; and Liam Hager, eighth grader, East Fairview Elementary School.

McLean County — Ryan Bingham, eighth grader, Max Public School; and Sophie Paulsen, eighth grader, Garrison High School.

Mountrail County — Kiel Ernest Domingo, fifth grader, Edwin Loe Elementary School, New Town; and Harlow Schow, eighth grader, Stanley Junior Senior High School.

Pierce County — Jackson Childress, seventh grader; and Bella Grove, eighth grader, both Rugby High School.

Renville County — Abygail Rogers, seventh grader, Glenburn Public School; and Adlee Johnson, seventh grader, Mohall, Lansford, Sherwood Public School.

Rolette County — Brailee Demery, seventh grader, Rolette Public School; and Dustin Wawryk, eighth grader, St. John Public School.

Wells County — Kynlie Whetzel, sixth grader, BM Hanson Elementary School; and Kylee Monge, eighth grader, Harvey High School.

Williams County — Noah Billings, sixth grader, Williston Middle School Central Campus; and Amber Wilhelmy, eighth grader, Tioga Junior Senior High School.

The program administrator and host of the event is the North Dakota Association of County Superintendents, the official regional partner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Students representing 51 of the state’s 53 counties will compete in the one-day event. Including spellers, family members, volunteers, teachers, school administrators and spectators, more than 250 people are expected to attend.

The competition will begin in the morning with a written test consisting of 50 spelling words and 20 vocabulary questions. Once the tests are scored, the top 25 spellers, along with any additional students tied for 25th place, will advance to the afternoon’s oral spelldown. The oral competition will continue until a state champion is crowned.

The North Dakota State Spelling Bee champion will receive an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in “Bee Week” and compete in the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee during the week of Memorial Day. The grand prize includes airfare, hotel accommodations and travel expenses for the champion and a chaperone.

Prizes will be awarded to the first, second, third and fourth place finishers. In addition to the trip to Washington, D.C., the Scripps National Spelling Bee provides the champion with a one-year subscription to Merriam-Webster Unabridged Online, News-O-Matic and Brittanica Online Premium.

“We are thrilled to welcome 99 of North Dakota’s top spellers to the State Spelling Bee. This year’s competitors range from fourth through eighth grade, with 26 spellers returning for at least their second appearance at the State Bee. All of these spellers have demonstrated incredible dedication, hard work and perseverance to reach this level of competition. We are proud to provide this opportunity for students across the state and look forward to an exciting competition,” Miranda Streifel, N.D. Spelling Bee state director, said.