2026 Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee State Finals Begin After Record 98,783 Student Registrations

The 2026 Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee is moving into its State and Territory Finals after a record 98,783 students registered across Australia. The second round begins at 9am AEST on August 31, 2026, and runs through 5pm AEST on September 4. Queensland produced a historic clean sweep in the School Round, with students topping all three age categories. 

Introduction

Australia’s 2026 Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee is entering its next stage after attracting a record 98,783 registered students nationwide, making this year’s competition the largest yet.

The State and Territory Finals begin at 9am AEST on Monday, August 31, and conclude at 5pm AEST on Friday, September 4. The competition is open to Australian students in Years 3 to 8, with participants competing across three age groups.

The first-round results have already produced several standout performances. Queensland made competition history by taking the top position in all three categories during the School Round, while strong results were recorded by students across New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.

What Happened?

The 2026 Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee, hosted by Kids News, completed its School Round before moving into the State and Territory Finals.

This year's record registration figure of 98,783 students represents a significant increase from 2025, when 82,712 students registered for the competition. The 2026 competition is the sixth annual edition.

Students compete in three categories:

• Green: Years 3–4
• Orange: Years 5–6
• Red: Years 7–8

The School Round ran from July 20 to August 21, followed by the State and Territory Finals from August 31 to September 4. The national final is scheduled for September 9–10, 2026.

A major change this year is the number of students progressing to the second round. The competition information published by Catholic Schools NSW states that the top 500 students in each category from every state and territory will progress, compared with 200 in previous years.

Key Details

The most important facts about the 2026 competition include:

• 98,783 students registered nationwide.
• The competition is open to students in Years 3–8.
• Students compete in Green, Orange and Red categories.
• The State and Territory Finals begin August 31.
• The second round closes September 4 at 5pm AEST.
• The National Final is scheduled for September 9–10.
• Queensland topped all three categories in the School Round.
• The competition is conducted digitally, allowing students to enter their spelling responses online.

Queensland Students Lead the School Round

Queensland produced the strongest overall opening-round performance, securing first place nationally in each of the three competition levels.

In the Green category for Years 3–4, Jared Wei Hao Ooi from Warrigal Road State School recorded a perfect 30/30 in 46.617 seconds, making him the fastest overall School Round performer highlighted in the results.

In the Orange category, Anna To of The Cathedral School in Townsville also achieved 30/30, completing the round in 1:12.970.

Queensland's third category winner was Anna Ponnor from St Thomas More College. She scored 30/30 in 53.809 seconds in the Red category for Years 7–8.

The results mean Queensland achieved a clean sweep across all three age categories in the opening round.

Other Students to Watch

Queensland was not the only state producing strong performances.

In New South Wales, Oliver Lee of Sydney Grammar Preparatory School scored 30/30 in the Green category in 49.693 seconds. NSW also produced top performers in the Orange and Red categories, including Zaydin M and Maya T.

Victoria's leading performer was Glorianne Thomas of Lighthouse Christian College Cranbourne. She achieved 30/30 in the Red category and ranked third nationally in that level during the School Round.

South Australia also has a returning standout. Aidan Leibbrandt of Aberfoyle Park High School finished as the state's top Red-level performer for the second consecutive year, scoring 29/30.

Tasmania's leading overall School Round performer was Daniel Little of Mount Nelson Primary School. He scored 29/30 in the Orange category and ranked inside the national Top 50.

In the ACT, Emmett H of Throsby School delivered a particularly strong result, scoring 30/30 in the Green category in 1:11.820 and ranking eighth nationally in that category.

How the Spelling Bee Works

The Prime Minister's Spelling Bee combines spelling accuracy with speed. Students receive words digitally and enter their answers within the competition's time limits.

The digital format has become one of the distinctive features of the competition. Students can participate through their schools rather than having to stand on a traditional stage and spell words aloud in front of an audience.

The competition is designed for students from Years 3 to 8 and aims to encourage spelling, vocabulary development and literacy. The Australian Government has previously described the Prime Minister's Spelling Bee as an initiative intended to help students expand their vocabulary and develop their reading skills.

What Officials and Schools Said

The competition's educational value has been emphasized by participating schools.

Natalie Shanahan, principal of Banyule Primary School in Victoria, said strong literacy skills are fundamental across the curriculum and highlighted the competition's role in developing perseverance, concentration and confidence.

Teacher Jessica Ray, who coordinates the competition at Banyule Primary School, also said students had been practising and supporting one another during the competition. She highlighted the opportunity for children to develop curiosity about words, including how words are formed and why they are spelled in particular ways.

The comments reflect a broader purpose of the competition beyond simply identifying the fastest speller. The event gives schools an opportunity to make literacy practice competitive and engaging while encouraging students to challenge themselves.

Why This Matters

The record registration figure is significant because it shows the continued scale of interest in literacy-based competitions among Australian school students.

More than just a spelling contest, the event connects spelling with vocabulary, reading, concentration and confidence. The competition's digital format also introduces students to a technology-based way of demonstrating traditional literacy skills.

The increase from 82,712 registrations in 2025 to 98,783 in 2026 represents an increase of more than 16,000 registrations in one year.

The expansion of the second-round field is also notable. With up to 500 students per category from each state and territory progressing, substantially more students have an opportunity to continue beyond the School Round this year.

What Happens Next?

The State and Territory Finals begin on August 31, 2026, with students competing through September 4.

The next stage will determine which students progress toward the national competition. The National Final is scheduled for September 9–10, 2026.

For students and schools, the immediate focus is therefore on the second round. The School Round results provide an indication of who performed strongly, but every finalist enters the next stage with an opportunity to improve their position.

The national champion will ultimately emerge from the final stage of the competition.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Prime Minister's Spelling Bee?

The Prime Minister's Spelling Bee is a national Australian spelling competition for students in Years 3 to 8. It aims to encourage spelling, vocabulary and literacy skills through a digital competition format.

How many students registered for the 2026 Spelling Bee?

A record 98,783 students registered for the 2026 Prime Minister's Spelling Bee.

When do the 2026 Spelling Bee State Finals start?

The State and Territory Finals start at 9am AEST on Monday, August 31, 2026.

When do the State and Territory Finals finish?

The second round closes at 5pm AEST on Friday, September 4, 2026.

Which state topped all three categories in the School Round?

Queensland topped the Green, Orange and Red categories in the 2026 School Round, producing a historic clean sweep.

What are the three Prime Minister's Spelling Bee categories?

Students compete in three age-based categories: Green for Years 3–4, Orange for Years 5–6 and Red for Years 7–8.

When is the 2026 national final?

The National Final is scheduled for September 9–10, 2026.

How many students progressed to the State and Territory Finals?

For 2026, the competition expanded the second-round field to the top 500 students in each category from each state and territory, compared with 200 previously.

Sources: Kids News' August 30, 2026 report on the 2026 School Round and State/Territory Finals, plus Catholic Schools NSW's July 2026 competition information and the Australian Government's background information on the Prime Minister's Spelling Bee.