MACHIAS — A Machias eighth-grader turned his passion for academic competitions into a trip to Washington, D.C. to represent Maine in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May.
Tristan Singh, who turns 14 in May, bested 13 other young spellers at the Maine State Spelling Bee at Bowdoin College last weekend. He’ll be one of about 250 young spellers competing for a first-place $50,000 prize at the national event, which is being held at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C.
“I tied for fourth in the state spelling bee last year. So, of course I was eager to win this year,” said Singh. “And then I made a bet with myself that there’s a neon dance coming up, and I said that I would only go if I won.” And, if he lost, he would go beforehand to help set up the dance.
Singh won the state bee by correctly spelling “stratosphere.”
The teen can’t say how many hours he’s put in preparing for this competition. “If I kept track, that would take away time from well, in this case, studying, right?” he said.
There are books and apps that he uses, but his biggest piece of advice for other kids? “Just make sure you really want to do this. Have rocket fuel motivation. Be dedicated,” he said.
That focus moved him from being one of 10 million students competing in bees in classrooms and auditoriums in schools across the country to heading for a national stage.
His mother, Elizabeth Singh, who teaches fourth grade at Rose M. Gaffney Elementary School, is quick to point out that Tristan does more than study.
“He’s the senior patrol leader in Boy Scouts. He runs cross country and likes to help keep stats for basketball and baseball,” she said. “He’s more well-rounded than he is letting on.”
The teen is also a finalist this year for the National Civics Bee, a competition sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation that encourages middle schoolers to think about solutions for community issues. His essay, “Website Wonder,” landed him the opportunity to compete in the Maine State Civics Bee in June, where he’ll answer quizzes and pitch community solutions.
“When COVID hit, a lot of the academic stuff stopped and getting it back has been tricky,” said Elizabeth Singh. “That’s something he’s really been passionate about and thinking about — how can we get other schools to participate in this?”
There are fees involved. Beginning in August, teachers and administrators can enroll their schools in bees for $199. Tristan worries the cost could prevent kids in small rural schools from getting to participate. If he should win a cash prize at Nationals, he’d like to use some of it to help other schools enroll.
In Washington County, only Rose M. Gaffney and Princeton elementary schools participate in the Scripps bee.
Newsrooms sponsor the Scripps bees across the country and over 10 million children participate in school bees. In Maine, the bee was presented by the Maine Trust for Local News.
“We’re really proud to host the Maine State Bee. We think about it the same way we think about high school sports,” said Stefanie Manning, president and publisher at the Maine Trust. “The academic kids, the readers — they deserve their moments too.”
The Maine Trust also coordinates Maine’s school-level and county bees for Scripps. This year 73 schools registered from 14 counties, according to Manning. Each school was invited to send up to two spellers to the county bee and then each county could send one speller to the state bee.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee started in 1925 and the last Mainer to win nationally was Portlander Sarah Wilson in 1934.
Visit spellingbee.com starting May 1, 2026 to see the broadcast schedule and to follow Singh through the competition.
