Eligibility Requirements

The primary requirements a speller must meet in order to be eligible to participate in the 2026 Scripps Regional Spelling Bee Hosted by Houston City College are:

1. The speller must not have passed beyond the eighth grade or an international equivalent on or before August 31, 2025.
2. The speller must not have reached their 15th birthday on or before August 31, 2025.
3. The speller must not have any first, second or third-degree relatives who are current employees of The E.W. Scripps Company as of February 1, 2026.

The full list of eligibility requirements including those listed above is provided on pages one and two of Scripps’ 2026 Suggested Rules for Spelling Bees.