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Public votes to select finalists for Spellebrity Video Contest

March 28, 2017 By Rebecca McCarter

CINCINNATI – Five teams of students with a passion for spelling and reading and a penchant for video storytelling are making plans for an expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., as the Finalists of the 2017 Spellebrity Video Contest.

The Finalists of the competition, which was created by the Scripps National Spelling Bee and its presenting sponsor, Kindle, include teams in Chandler, Arizona; Valencia, California; Lawrence, Kansas; Oneonta, New York; and Cedar Park, Texas.

After three weeks of voting by the public, thousands of fans chose their favorites from 10 Semifinalists. The winning teams will join the festivities as spectators of Bee Week, May 29-June 2, in National Harbor, Maryland.

Teams of kids from across the country produced creative videos that spell out how to kindle the love of reading. This is the second year for the contest, which timed up with National Reading Month in March.

“The entries for this year were once again a delight,” said Paige Kimble, executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. “Our winners put so much thought into their storylines and characters, and some even included makeup and costumes. We see this contest as another way to recognize the power of reading to improve lives. We appreciate the effort and so do the thousands of fans who voted to give these students an opportunity to experience all that is memorable and inspiring about Bee Week.”

Finalists:
Bigham Yago | Valencia, California | Rio Norte Junior High, Tesoro del Valle Elementary
Bryn with a Bee | Lawrence, Kansas | Southwest Middle School
Kindle Cousins | Oneonta, New York; Orem, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah | Evergreen Junior High, Highland Park Elementary, Oneonta Middle School, Windsor Elementary
Team Champion | Chandler, Arizona | Champion Chandler Charter School, Kyrene Traditional Academy
The Fab Four | Cedar Park, Texas | Westside Elementary School

Prizes:
• The Finalist teams win:
o Economy airfare or train fare for each team member and a parent/guardian
o One standard hotel room for five nights at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center
o $400 gift card for travel and meal expenses
o Complimentary tickets for each team member and parent/guardian for the Memorial Day picnic at Nationals Park, a Bee-organized tour of Washington, D.C., and the Awards Banquet

• Each member of the Semifinalist teams (10) will receive a Kindle Paperwhite.

Participants in the Scripps National Spelling Bee will have the chance to view and vote on these five videos during the 2017 Bee Week to select the Champion video. For the winning team, each member will receive $1,000 cash and a Spellebrity trophy.

Key dates:
May 30 – Finalist teams attend Spellebrity Video Contest Premiere along with the participants of the 2017 National Finals.
May 30 – June 1 – Finalist teams can attend all rounds of the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
June 1 – The champion video is announced just before prime-time Finals are broadcast on ESPN.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee, the nation’s largest and longest-running educational program, and Kindle are working to elevate the belief that reading, spelling and vocabulary are critically important to a child’s lifelong achievement. With the Spellebrity Video Contest, students used their imaginations to combine spelling and reading into a fun and inspiring message.

About the Scripps National Spelling Bee:
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation’s largest and longest-running educational program. The purpose of the Scripps National Spelling Bee is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all of their lives. Visit spellingbee.com for more information about the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is administered on a not-for-profit basis by The E.W. Scripps Company.

About Scripps:
The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP) serves audiences and businesses through a growing portfolio of television, radio and digital media brands. Scripps is one of the nation’s largest independent TV station owners, with 33 television stations in 24 markets and a reach of nearly one in five U.S. households. It also owns 34 radio stations in eight markets. Scripps also runs an expanding collection of local and national digital journalism and information businesses, including satire and humor video and web brand Cracked, podcast industry leader Midroll Media and over-the-top video news service Newsy. Scripps also produces television shows including “The List” and “The Now” and runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, “Give light and the people will find their own way.”

About Amazon:
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

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Contacts:
For questions or general inquiries:
513-977-3040 /
Spellingbee.com/contact /
Twitter.com/ScrippsBee

For media inquiries only:
Valerie Miller
Manager, External Communications
513-545-6474
[email protected]