11-year-old Kumasi boy beats USA-based girl to 19th Spelling Bee glory 

By Ernest Bako WUBONTO

Kumasi-based 11-year-old boy in primary six, Eugene Osei Mensah, has outshone the 13-year-old, New Jersey-United States of America (USA)-based Ghanaian, Keona Dannette Osae-Twum, to be crowned Champion of the 19th edition of The National Spelling Bee after an intense competition.

Eugene, a student of Peniel Academy, took just one shot at the championship word of the day at the grand finale, when he got the opportunity to emerge the champion, as against Keona of Eastern Christian School, who misspelt her championship word on two different counts.

The 19^th edition of the national spelling bee, which presents the winner with an opportunity to represent the country at the global stage in the USA, witnessed about 170 pupils from across the country participating in the finals.

The competition entered the final phase in round five with six contestants aiming for glory after the elimination stages. It was an all-boys and one-girl contest at this point – the girl from the USA.

It was a fierce competition between Speller Number 1: Aagman Srivastava of DPS International School, Tema; Number 63: Eugene Osei Mensah, Peniel Academy, Kronum-Afrancho Kumasi; Number 73: Fauzan Chimsi Mohammed of North Community School, Savelugu – Northern Region; Number 99: Keona Dannette Osae-Twum of Eastern Christian School (New Jersey-USA); Number 101: Kofi Nsiah-Poku, also of DPS International School, and 107: Mawuena Anyaue, Old Airport Ridge School -Tamale.

At the end of the fifth round, only Speller 99-Keona, the girl among the boys, spelt her word correctly, knocking out all the boys.

However, per the rules of the game, to be declared the winner of the competition, she needed to spell another word, described as the championship word. Unfortunately, she misspelt it, which nullified her lead and called for a retake with all six.

Interestingly, all contestants got their words correctly in round six, pushing it into round seven. Unfortunately for contestant number 101, Kofi Nsia-Poku of DPS, he dropped out of round seven.

Round eight was soon underway and again, only Keona, the girl among the boys, stood tall at the end of the round, with Aagman, Eugene, Fauzan and Mawuena all missing their words.

Good luck eluded the USA-based Ghanaian girl again. She misspelt the championship word, bringing back the other four boys for a five-contestant round nine.

This time around, Keona was not lucky enough; she misspelt her word, just like the three other boys, leaving Eugene as the last boy standing to take on the championship word.

Lo and behold, the 11-year-old boy from Kumasi Kronum-Afrancho in the Ashanti Region got the championship word correctly and emerged as the National Champion for 2026.

As Champion, he will represent Ghana at the 101st Scripps National Spelling Bee in the USA this May, continuing Ghana’s proud participation as one of only two African countries competing institutionally at the global competition, alongside Nigeria.

This year’s finals also recorded a rare and historic outcome: four finalists tied as first runners-up, having exited at the same competitive level during the championship rounds.

Eugene Osei Mensah, who is participating in the competition for the first time, expressed his disbelief at the glory, describing the experience as a marvelous one. He thanked his teachers and parents for the support and guidance.

He called for preparatory support that will enable him shine at the global stage come May 2026.

Second-placed Keona Dannette Osae-Twum, who is in Ghana for just the second time in 13 years, described the experience as an eye-opener, emphasising that she was impressed with the intensity of the competition and the professionalism of the production.

She congratulated Eugene for winning the 19^th edition and promised to come back stronger next year to grab the singular honour to represent her motherland at the global stage.

Their shared placement underscores the intensity and depth of talent displayed at this year’s Bee, marking one of the most closely contested editions in the programme’s 19-year history.

The US Embassy-Accra, as a key sponsor, was represented by a Foreign Service Officer, Kofi Gyira, who commended the participants for the display of immense resilience and determination.

He emphasised that the US Embassy-Ghana remains committed to supporting education and talent development in the country and will continue to support such initiatives, as well as strengthen its partnership with the Ghana Education Service (GES) to champion quality universal basic education.

He described the spelling bee as a powerful initiative that helps to develop cognitive skills and confidence in young ones.

The stakeholders present highlighted that the national spelling bee, for 19 years, has opened global doors for children from noble backgrounds and deserves commendation for fostering talent development.

The schools represented are described as change-makers, and the leaders and coaches of these schools and individuals are touted as the real MVPs.

In addition to the championship title, several special awards were presented, including the Darko-Asare Grit and Grace Award – GH₵3,000 presented to the winning school and coach – The Peniel Academy.

The Honey Bee Award was presented to the youngest spellers in the competition and the Bee Keeper Award, which was given to the school with the highest number of finalists, DPS International.

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