The Pretty Great Spelling Bee 2025

The Pretty Great Spelling Bee returns — are you our next champ? SPACE’s preposterous yet totally legitimate bee is an annual tradition where erudite local virtuosos engage in surprisingly thrilling lexical contest!

Watch as your friends and colleagues (or maybe their alter egos) duke it out in this impressive yet almost totally pointless display of wits! Only one swaggering combatant will emerge victorious, and shall be bestowed Spelling Bee Champion!

Dormant since 2015 and revived last year before a sold-out crowd, The Pretty Great Spelling Bee is our homegrown community celebration! The masters of ceremony shall be none other than Anne Buckwalter and Pilar Nadal, the co-conductors of npilar radio, an exemplary and locally celebrated yet profoundly pseudo-broadcasting endeavor.

As always, we’ll have a panel of judges composed of loquacious and thoroughly goofy local celebs (judges TBA!).

NOW, ARE YOU READY TO COMPETE IN THIS YEAR’S BEE?

Ahem, do you possess the requisite fortitude to venture forth into this formidable word fracas? Are you ready to douse yourself in glory at SPACE’s homegrown lexical contest? (Participation is free.)

Then follow these directions below:

1. Send us a piece of electronic mail (at nick@space538.org) so we can put your name on the list of spellers. Please indicate your full real name, the pseudonym you will compete under (should you choose one), your pronouns, and your Instagram handle (if you have one). (Spellers can only register in advance, not day of!)
2. Partake in rigorous, assiduous practice!
3. Choose the right apparel for the event! We encourage costumes! Indeed, many past participants have arrived in full character. (For some, it helps.) Regardless, breathable cotton is highly recommended, given the arduous circumstances. No bumblebee costumes allowed!
4. Stay hydrated and await instructions as the day approaches.

Note: Purchasing an event ticket does not equate to signing up as a contestant in the competition. All prospective competitors must email us to secure a position on the spelling roster. Time is of the absolute essence — available spaces are limited!

A photographic representation of a nudibranch shall be displayed beneath this line once our spelling roster has reached its capacity.

(there is no nudibranch here)

Here’s another note: Be advised that certain words will be of an adult nature. Participant and audience discretion is recommended.

And lastly, note: All participants will receive a SPACE membership, and the triumphant victor shall receive a bespoke and highly personalized trophy! Their name shall forever be etched into the annals of history, never to be forgotten.

Behold, the winner of the 2024 Pretty Great Spelling Bee, Courtney Williamson, aka Petty Crocker.