2026 Arkansas State Spelling Bee

The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas will sponsor the Arkansas State Spelling Bee on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at The Vines Center located at 1 Four-H Way, Little Rock, AR 72223. The event begins at 10:00 a.m. Spellers must arrive between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Spellers arriving after 9:00 a.m. may not be able to participate. A light breakfast will be available for all spellers and guests on Saturday morning.

Last year over 85,000 students from 414 schools in 55 counties across Arkansas participated in local and county contests leading up to the State Bee. This year, one speller from each participating county will advance and compete in the Arkansas State Spelling Bee. This year's State Champion will have the opportunity to compete in Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The purpose of the Scripps National Spelling Bee program is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabulary, learn concepts, and develop correct English usage that will help them throughout their lives.

Any speller and their family or guests who would like to arrive on Friday evening and stay overnight at The Vines Center must make a reservation. The Vines Center offers fully furnished, hotel-style rooms. Those staying at The Vines Center should have dinner before arriving on Friday evening as there are no dining options at, or close to, The Vines Center. Reservations can be made by visiting The Vines Center - Reservations Site. Reservations are non-refundable and must be made by March 2, 2026 at 4:30 p.m.

Rules & Study Materials

Study materials for classroom and school-level bees are available to registered schools at www.spellingbee.com.

2026 Arkansas State Spelling Bee Rules - CLICK HERE

Important Dates

8/19/25 - Scripps early bird registration ends - www.spellingbee.com

12/31/25 - School registration ends - www.spellingbee.com

1/31/26 - Deadline to conduct school-level bees

2/28/26 - Deadline to conduct county-level spelling bees - Contact your County Coordinator for details about your county bee.

2/28/26 - Deadline for County Coordinators to register a speller for the State Bee. This is also the deadline for any substitutions or corrections to previously made registrations. NO changes to the roster will be made after this date.

3/2/26 - Deadline for the Parent/Guardian of registered spellers to submit the speller registration form.

3/2/26 - Deadline for optional room reservations to be made - The Vines Center - Reservations Site.

3/7/26 - Arkansas State Spelling Bee at The Vines Center (1 Four-H Way, Little Rock, AR 72223). Spellers must arrive between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m and the bee will begin at 10:00 a.m. Spellers arriving after 9:00 a.m. may not be able to participate.

5/24/26 - 5/29/26 - Scripps National Spelling Bee - Bee Week 2026 - Washington, D.C.

Arkansas State Spelling Bee Contact Information

Questions specific to the Arkansas State Spelling Bee should be emailed to arspellingbee@gmail.com.

Questions concerning the Scripps National Spelling Bee are accepted at https://spellingbee.com/contact.

County Bee/Coordinator Information

Any Arkansas county with more than 1 registered school, must have an assigned county coordinator willing to schedule, coordinate and conduct a county-level bee to determine the speller that will advance and compete at the Arkansas State Spelling Bee. All aspects of county bees are handled by the County Coordinator. As we are made aware of the County Coordinator for each county, their information will be added to the directory linked below. All rules and decisions made at the classroom, school, and county levels of competition are final and are not governed by the state sponsor. Counties with multiple schools and/or home school groups that do not conduct a county bee will not be eligible to advance a speller to the Arkansas State Spelling Bee. Because the number of participating schools in a given county can differ greatly, the method by which county coordinator duties are assigned, shared, and/or rotated differs from county to county and year to year. While we appreciate the experience of perpetual county coordinators, we also welcome the rotation of this assignment to schools that are capable of hosting their county-level bee.

A speller competing in the Arkansas State Spelling Bee must be a registered student at a school in the county they are representing. An official letter from a speller’s public/private school may be requested to confirm a speller’s current/active registration. If the speller is a home school student, they must be officially registered with the state of Arkansas as a home school student in the county they are representing. A verification letter and/or copy of a home school students Notice of Intent to Home School (NOI) form from the Arkansas Department of Education may be requested to confirm a speller’s county of residence and active status as a home school student. It is understood that some home school students may not reside in the same county as the home school organization they are associated with.

If you have questions specific to the Arkansas State Spelling Bee, please email arspellingbee@gmail.com.

Directory of Registered Schools & County Coordinators - CLICK HERE

If you are a School Coordinator or County Coordinator and have questions or need help preparing for your bee, please contact Scripps by visiting http://www.spellingbee.com/contact. Scripps has staff dedicated to assisting school and county coordinators with all aspects of the bee process.

Spelling Bee Record keeping Sheet

Record keeping Sheet - (Printable Sample & Blank Sheets)

Media/Press Contact Information

Media inquiries for the Arkansas State Spelling Bee should be directed to Rob Roedel, Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas, 501.570.2296 or rob.roedel@aecc.com.

Directions To The Vines Center

From I-430 in Little Rock, take Exit 9 and travel west on Cantrell Road.

Continue on Cantrell Road/Hwy 10 for approximately 8.2 miles

Turn left on Ferndale Cutoff Road and follow for approximately 5.5 miles.

Turn right on Four H Way

The Vines Center is ahead and to your right.