In a historic turn of events, the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee ended in an eight-way tie. The eight finalists, ranging from ages 12 to 14, went 20 consecutive rounds without misspelling a word. That’s when it was declared by Dr. Jacques Bailly, the Scripps National Spelling Bee’s official announcer, that all remaining contestants would be named “co-champions,” according to Time.
The winning word for each champion were: auslaut, erysipelas, bougainvillea, aiguillette, pendeloque, palama, cernuous, and odylic.
There have been three other instances of Spelling Bee ties in 2014, 2015 and 2016, although each of those only saw two co-champions, which goes to show just how unprecedented it was to have eight winners this year. The prize for first place is $50,000 and a trophy, but rather than splitting the winnings, each co-champion will receive the full $50,000 and their own trophy.
Source: IGN.com Spelling Bee Championship Ends in Insane 8-Way Tie