On June 3, 1999, in Washington D.C., 14-year-old Napur Lala of Tampa, Florida, with a confident smile and steely focus, spelled “logorrhea” to win the 72nd annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The road to victory wasn’t smooth. The year before, Napur was eliminated early and cried for three hours. But she returned with determination, studying two hours daily with her parents and turning every unknown word into an opportunity to grow. “I would read different books and whenever I found a word I didn't know, I would write it down and look it up later,” she said.

Her language arts teacher called the moment “the most memorable experience in 26 years of teaching.” Another said Napur had “a single focus”—a quality that blossomed into national triumph and a $10,000 prize after rigorous classroom rounds and fierce state finals.

Spelling Bees continue to inspire brilliance in young minds. Champions like Zaila Avant-garde, who made history in 2021 as the first African American winner, remind us that success comes in many beautiful forms—fueled by effort, creativity, and heart.

For Napur—and for so many others who’ve taken the stage—the Bee is not just about competition. It’s about a life-long love for words: how they sound, how they build meaning, how they shape our voice in the world.

The Bee is more than a contest. It’s a celebration of curiosity, discipline, and the magic of words—one sound, one letter at a time.