(This page has been archived for reference purposes)
The Nigeria Spelling Bee is open to all students in both public and private schools in Nigeria. All spellers will be asked to spell individually irrespective of the number of spellers from the same school.
Please study these rules and act accordingly for training and practice purposes.
[big_header] Speller Categories[/big_header]
From this Season (2019 Season), the Nigeria Spelling Bee will be divided into two distinct categories. The 3 best spellers from each category will represent Nigeria at the 2019 African Spelling Bee.
Senior Category:
- Senior spellers must not be more than 16years as at November 2019.
- The advised minimum age for the Senior category is 13years (this is not a restriction to younger outstanding spellers).
Junior Category:
- Junior spellers must not be more than 13years as at November 2019.
- The advised minimum age for the Junior category is 9years (this is not a restriction to younger outstanding spellers).
- Juniors compete for the Junior prizes and to represent Nigeria at the African Spelling Bee. However, to compete for the N1million Naira Senior Prize, a speller below 13years must register and compete as a senior.
[big_header] 1. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS [/big_header]
- Must attend a Primary or Secondary School in Nigeria.
- Spellers may register under their schools or privately but must supply their school details.
- Spellers who will be in Final Senior Secondary School (SS3) as at 2018/2019 academic session or have passed Senior Secondary School 2 (SS2) are not eligible.
- The organizers of the Nigeria Spelling Bee may disqualify, prior to, during, or after the competition, any speller who is not in compliance with any of the Eligibility Requirements or rules of the competition.
[big_header] 2. REGISTRATION [/big_header]
- Registration is online on our e-portal upon the payment of N2,000 (Two Thousand Naira) only per speller.
- Schools registering a group of more than 10 spellers should call 09056624866 or email [email protected] for school discount of 1 free speller per 10 registered spellers.
- All payments should be made to our official bank accounts as displayed on our website. No payment should be made directly to any person claiming to act on behalf of Nigeria Spelling Bee.
- All spellers will be given a unique SPELLER ID on the “Confirmation Page” after submitting the form.
- All Spellers are advised to keep their Proof of Payments and come with the same to the competition venue.
- Upon registration, Spellers will be regularly informed about competition dates, time and venue in their state via their phone numbers and email. (Please note that it is the responsibility of the speller to regularly check their emails and our website for updates. Also, deactivate “Do-Not-Disturb” service to ensure delivery of our SMS)
[big_header] 3. STAGES OF THE COMPETITION [/big_header]
- Spellers shall start competing from the State Qualifier in their respective states. (Note that two or more states may be merged due to low registrations –below 50per state)
- Top Spellers at the State Qualifiers will participate in the Regional Qualifier in their respective regions.
- Top Spellers at the State Qualifier will be informed of the state of the Regional Qualifier.
- Top Spellers at the Regional Qualifier will participate at the National Finals (Grand Finale)
- Top Spellers at the Regional Qualifiers will be informed of the State where the National Finals (Grand Finale) will hold.
[big_header] 4. ROUNDS[/big_header]
The qualifiers will have 2 distinct rounds of competition
Round 1
Round 1 is a non-elimination round and is a multi-lingual round using the word list with words from the 3 major languages of Nigeria (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba).
For the Yoruba, Hausa and Igbo words used in the competition, the Spellers are strongly advised to download and print them to study after submitting the e-Registration form.
Spellers will be asked to spell either a Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba word serially without prejudice and no speller will be given undue advantage
The Indigenous Languages will not be used to eliminate in the State and Regional Qualifiers.
Round 2 and Above
Round 2 and all subsequent rounds will be elimination rounds using English words only.
For the English words, Spellers are advised to download and study the Study Guide for this season after successful registration. This will serve as a base guide for spellers to study for the competition.
Finalists will be given additional study materials that will be used at the National Finals.
Spellers are also advised to read and study broadly for the competition.
[big_header] 5. SPELLER RULES[/big_header]
- Spellers are required to be very audible and clear on their spelling.
- Spellers are required to pronounce the word after they have spelt it to indicate that they are through with the spelling. (A speller may be disqualified for not pronouncing the words after spelling within the timeframe).
- A Speller has 60 seconds to spell his/her word and pronounce the word after starting to spell the first letter.
- It is the right and responsibility of the speller to request the following:
- Re-pronunciation
- Definition,
- the origin of the word,
- sentence example,
- part of speech,
- alternate pronunciation if alternative pronunciations are available, and within the allowed parameters of the rules
- homonyms: if a word has one or more homonyms, the Pronouncer indicates which word is to be spelt by defining the word
- Spellers are advised to make use of these rights and responsibilities and not rely only on pronunciations.
- A speller can NOT change the order of the letters in a word after pronouncing the letters during spelling.
- Officials may disqualify any contestant who ignores a request to spell his/her word after a reasonable length of time.
[big_header] 6. ADJUDICATION CRITERIA[/big_header]
- The Spelling Bee will be conducted primarily in English.
- The multi-lingual section of the competition will be conducted using the words on the multi-lingual word list with English translations
- In the event of any complaint, suggestion or need for clarification, such should be directed to the adjudicator.
- Complaints concerning the spelling of a word must be brought up before the end of the current round.
- Both American and British spelling of words will be allowed and the “Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, New 8th Edition, (Windows Application)” will be used in the competition as the final authority.
[big_header] 7. OFFICIATING PANEL[/big_header]
The Officiating Panel will officiate the Spelling Bee and consist of the following members:
- Primary Pronouncer
- Adjudicators/Timekeepers
- Program Director
Primary Pronouncer
- Will pronounce words according to the pronunciation provided in the computerized audio of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary;
- calls out the words that each speller will spell;
- gives the alternate pronunciation to avoid misunderstanding (if alternative pronunciations are available, and within the allowed parameters of the rules). This is based on the speller request;
- advises on the following on request: the origin of the word, definition, sentence, part of speech, and whether alternatives of the words exist;
- homonyms: if a word has one or more homonyms, the Pronouncer indicates which word is to be spelt by defining the word.
Adjudicator
- The adjudicator will sit apart from the Pronouncer
- The adjudicator will rule immediately on any disputes raised either by a Participant or an audience member
- The adjudicator will ensure the smooth running of the competition
- assist the Primary Pronouncer by listening to the spelling of the word and determines if it is spelt correctly
- upholds the rules in determining whether or not words are spelt correctly
- works from a Name List that contains the names of all Spellers in the competition
- crosses off the names of all Spellers who are eliminated and submits their numbers
- ensures that Spellers stick to the allocated time (60 seconds) from the time they begin to spell the word
Programme Director
- Manages the proceedings according to the programme
- opens the event
- Introduces the Adjudication Panel and explains the rules to the audience
- Acknowledges the spellers participating
- instructs the audience not to applaud after each contestant has spelt, but only at the end of each Round
- announces the beginning and end of each Round
- hands over proceedings to the Pronouncer
Thank you for studying the rules. If you are eligible and want to register, CLICK HERE