Howard County Library System (HCLS) is proud to offer your students in grades 4-8 the opportunity to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee program! HCLS is the official regional partner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in our community for the 2026-2027 school year. Together, we can give students the words they need to shine their light on the world.
The Bee helps students improve their spelling, increase their vocabulary, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives. In addition to the academic benefits, students also develop important life skills that will help them as they advance in school and eventually to successful careers.
IMPORTANT DATES:
- September 30, 2026 - Complete and submit the Intent to Participate form (click link) LINK - Intent to Participate Form
- October 13, 2026, at 7pm (Zoom Webinar) - HCLS Spelling Bee Information session for parents (link to follow)
- October 2026 - Scripps National Spelling Bee webinar for Bee Coordinators (date and link to follow)
- February 1, 2027 - Classroom and School Bees must be completed by this date
- February 8, 2027 - Deadline for schools to submit one winner and one alternate
- Sat. March 13, 2027, at 2 pm - HCLS Spelling Bee event takes place at Howard High School.
- Please note any scheduling conflicts with HCPSS’ 2027 GT Band and Orchestra obligations.
- May 31 - June 4, 2027 - Scripps National Spelling Bee (Bee Week) takes place in Washington, DC. Visit spellingbee.com beginning May 1, 2027, for the full schedule.
For your students to participate in the Howard County Library System Spelling Bee, your school must first complete an LINK - submit an Intent to Participate form online by September 30, 2026, then you will enroll directly online with Scripps in order to access educator resources for classroom and school level bees.
Once your school enrolls in the 2027 Scripps National Spelling Bee program, you will receive online access to:
- Access to Scripps’ online educator portal, a tool that gives educators the flexibility to administer a school spelling bee program via online spelling and vocabulary test
- Official study lists for your students, organized by grade level and level of difficulty
- Official competition lists for use in conducting classroom and school spelling bees
- The Great Words, Great Works book list with all source books for words on the School Spelling Bee Study List, organized by reading level
- Words of the Champions, the 4,000-word study guide for school champions
- Supplemental word meaning materials for classroom and school levels
- Award certificates for participants and your school champion, and
- Key information about the HCLS Spelling Bee.
The annual, regional Howard County Library System Spelling Bee will take place Saturday, March 13, 2027. Please note any scheduling conflicts with HCPSS’ 2027 GT Band and Orchestra obligations.
The HCLS Spelling Bee champion will receive a trophy (their school will receive one as well), a $1,000 college scholarship, and an all-expenses-paid trip to represent Howard County in the 2027 Scripps National Spelling Bee. The second-place will receive a trophy, a $750 college scholarship, and the opportunity to represent Howard County in the National Spelling Bee, all expenses paid, should the champion be unable to compete. All contestants and alternates will receive a prize bag and certificate of participation.
For more information, including answers to frequently-asked questions, please visit the Spelling Bee pages of our website at hclibrary.org/spelling-bee.
You also may wish to attend our information webinar about the Spelling Bee on Tuesday, October 13 at 7 pm on Zoom (link to follow). In the meantime, please contact us at bee@hclibrary.org with other questions.