METUCHEN, NJ (TIP):  The South Asian Spelling Bee (www.southasianspellingbee.com) concluded its quest for the best speller in the country, by successfully ending yet another virtual season of the program. Six virtual regionals and finals were conducted within the past four weeks.

Spellers from across the country participated in the Houston, TX, Dallas, TX, Seattle, WA, Raleigh, NC, Edison, NJ, and Fremont, CA virtual regional centers and as usual the Bee attracted some top talent in the circuit.

At the 2021 Virtual Finals, Sahasrad Sathish, 12, of Grayslake, IL was the national champion and Akshainie Kamma, 13, of Round Rock, TX was the first runner up.

In Houston, Ishika Varipilli, 11, of Spring, TX was the regional champion and Yash Ganesh, 9, of Tulsa, OK was the first runner up.

In Dallas, Michael Kolagani, 13, of Austin, TX was the regional champion and Rishi Nemmani, 12, of McKinney, TX was the first runner up.

In Seattle, Pranav Chandar, 13, of Newburgh, IN and Saharsh Vuppala, 13, of Bellevue, WA were the two co-champions.

In Raleigh, Akshita Balaji, 14, of Herndon, VA and Maya Jadhav, 13, of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, were the two co-champions.

In Edison, Akshainie Kamma, 13, of Round Rock, TX was the regional champ and Dev Shah, 12, of Seminole, FL was the first runner up.

In Fremont, Harini Logan, 13, of Shavano Park, TX was the regional champ and Shradha Rachamreddy, 11, of San Jose, CA was the first runner up.

The top two spellers of each regional competition advanced to the finals that was held virtually in Edison, NJ on August 6. Champion’s grand prize of $3,000 was awarded to the national winner Sahasrad Sathish at the finals. An initiative of the South Asian Engagement Foundation and managed by leading multicultural marketing firm Touchdown Media, the South Asian Spelling Bee is celebrating its 14th anniversary this year.

“Even with the competition going virtual, the raw talent of these spellers was on full display, said Bee Director Daisy Walia. “We are happy to provide a veritable platform for these spellers so they can showcase their spelling prowess”, she added.

“I applaud the efforts of the team and spellers for yet another successful season despite the odds, said Rahul Walia, Founder. “We are also very fortunate to have the support of the South Asian Engagement Foundation and Kawan Foods to help us bring the platform to the community in 2021.”

About South Asian Engagement Foundation: The South Asian Engagement Foundation (SAEF) has a mission to increase leadership potential in migrant communities by providing incentives using educational initiatives and civic engagements. SAEF’s vision is to continue supporting and organizing educational initiatives and cultural outreach to expand national awareness in migrant communities. To volunteer and donate, please visit www.saef-us.org

(Press Release)