Who is Shrey Parikh? Indian-origin teen who won 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee

Indian-origin teenager Shrey Parikh scripted a remarkable comeback story by winning the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee title in the United States after beating fellow Ishaan Gupta in a dramatic lightning-round tiebreaker.

The 14-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga delivered a stunning performance in the decisive 90-second “spell-off,” correctly spelling 32 words to seal the championship, while Ishaan managed 25.

The victory earned Shrey, who comes from a family that immigrated to the United States from Telangana, a prize money of $52,500, which converts to nearly Rs 50 lakh.

Who is Shrey Parikh?

Shrey’s journey to the top has been years in the making. He first appeared at the national bee in 2022, where he finished tied for 89th place. Two years later, he emerged as one of the competition’s brightest talents by securing a joint third-place finish in 2024.

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Ironically, his momentum suffered a setback last year when illness forced him to compete through a fever during his school bee, leading to an early elimination.

Responding to the setback, Shrey came back by dominating several elite online spelling competitions in the lead-up to this year’s championship. Many of the contestants he defeated in Washington this week were familiar rivals from those circuits.

Away from spelling, Shrey has a wide range of interests. His favourite word is “muntjac,” a species of small deer native to Southeast Asia. He is also deeply involved in music and plays multiple percussion instruments, including the snare drum, bass drum, timpani, toms, triangle, glockenspiel and marimba.

Preparation played a major role in his triumph. Shrey reportedly spent nearly five hours every day studying words and refining his technique. He also credited his support system for pushing him towards the title.

“My amazing community really motivated me and pushed me to become better,” Shrey said after the win.

Shrey's coaching setup

His coaching setup was equally impressive. Shrey trained under Sam Evans, who has coached each of the last three Spelling Bee champions, alongside Sohum Sukhatankar, himself a former co-champion in 2019. Together, they focused on relentless preparation, advanced study material and simulated high-pressure contests against other elite spellers.

And spelling may not be his only academic strength. Shrey also qualified for the California state Mathcounts competition this year, showing that his talents extend well beyond vocabulary and language.

Meanwhile, Ishaan, a 12-year-old seventh-grader from Jersey City, impressed throughout the competition and still has another year of eligibility remaining. Sarv Dharavane, a sixth-grader from Dunwoody, finished third for the second consecutive year.