Each year more than 250 top spellers from across Colorado participate in the virtual portion of the Colorado State Spelling Bee to earn a spot on the stage for the live rounds which take place in March at the University of Denver. The top scorers compete for the title of Colorado State Spelling Bee Champion. This 86 year-old tradition, originally sponsored by the Rocky Mountain News, encourages and rewards our young people’s love of learning and competition. The winner of the Colorado State Spelling Bee moves on to represent Colorado in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
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Please join us in congratulating the 2026 Denver Post Colorado State Spelling Bee Champion, Nikhil Ganta!
Nikhil, a 6th grader from Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School in Fort Collins, claimed the title after an incredible 56 rounds by correctly spelling AMAXOPHOBIA. After finishing 2nd place last year, his hard work paid off with this year’s championship! (amaxophobia – noun – fear of being in or riding in a vehicle.)
We’re excited to cheer him on in May when he travels to Washington, D.C. to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Congratulations as well to our outstanding 2nd and 3rd place winners: Vedanth Raju, last year’s champion and an 8th grader from Aurora Quest K–8 in Aurora, who earned 2nd place and Jude DSilva, a 6th grader from Campus Middle School in Greenwood Village, who took 3rd place, improving from 10th in 2025.
The dedication, focus, and perseverance of all our finalists were on full display at Sturm Hall at the University of Denver on Saturday. We’re proud of every student who competed in this year’s bee!
Below are the state’s top 18 spellers who competed in the live rounds of the Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at Sturm Hall on the University of Denver campus.
Congratulations to our 2026 Denver Post Colorado State Spelling Bee Finalists:
Leo Agrawal – 6th Grade – Holy Family Catholic School
Aditi Ayyappadas – 7th Grade – North Star Academy
Jackson Barnes – 7th Grade – Frassati Catholic Academy
Samritha Bharani – 7th Grade – Prospect Ridge Academy
(3rd Place ) Jude DSilva – 6th Grade – Campus Middle School
(1st Place) Nikhil Ganta – 6th Grade – Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School
Sage Murray – 4th Grade – Green Gables Elementary School
Aadhya Muthukumar – 7th Grade – Hulstrom Options School
Vaughn Parrish – 8th Grade – Eagle County Charter Academy
Austin Pham – 5th Grade – Fairmount Elementary School
(2nd Place) Vedanth Raju – 8th Grade – Aurora Quest K-8 School
Jack Shea – 7th Grade- Ridgeview Classical School
Sriman Srinivasan – 4th Grade – Red Hawk Elementary School
Sai Shreyas Sriyapu Reddy – 7th Grade – World Compass Academy
Reyansh Tandon – 6th Grade – Prospect Ridge Academy
Reese Underwood – 7th Grade – Sagewood Middle School
Audrey Vigil – 8th Grade – Sagewood Middle School
Anurag Yalavarthy – 7th Grade – Manning School Academics & Arts
Lastly, congratulations to the more than 300 spellers who took the virtual spelling and vocabulary test, it was a very competitive group this year!
For questions, please email Carol Cline, Spelling Bee Event Director at ccline@denverpost.com.
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Click here to see the past Colorado State Spelling Bee champions.
