Prizes

For the Champion:

• From Scripps, a $30,000 cash prize and an engraved trophy

• From Merriam-Webster, a $2,500 U.S. savings bond and a complete reference library

• From Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundation, a $5,000 scholarship

• From Encyclopaedia Britannica, $2,600 in reference works and a lifetime membership to Britannica Online Premium

• From K12 Inc., an online course and a Nook eReader

For the Champion's School and Sponsor:

• From Scripps, engraved plaques

For the Championship Finalists:

• From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2011 Encyclopaedia Britannica Ultimate Reference Suite DVD-ROM 

For All Spellers:

• From Scripps:

  • Participated only in the Preliminaries: $100 gift card

  • Participated in the Semifinals but not in the Championship Finals: $500 gift card

  • Misspell in the first round of the Championship Finals to seventh place: $1,500

  • Sixth Place: $2,000

  • Fifth Place: $2,500

  • Fourth Place: $3,000

  • Third Place: $7,500

  • Second Place: $12,500

  • First Place: $30,000

• From Merriam-Webster, Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged, on CD-ROM

• From Mr. Jay Sugarman, The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award—a $100 U.S. savings bond presented by Mr. Sugarman in honor of his father

Spellers who are eliminated from the competition in the same round are assigned the same rank (place). If Bee officials declare co-champions, each co-champion will receive a $30,000 first place cash prize. Cash prizes for championship finalist spellers who are tied for places other than first place will be determined in accordance with the method described in this example: If three spellers are tied for fourth place, the cash prize for these three spellers will be determined by adding the prize amounts for fourth, fifth and sixth place and dividing by three (the number of spellers tied for fourth place).