THE National Championship for the 10th Dawn In Education Spelling Bee Competition 2014, held in partnership with the US Embassy Islamabad, was hosted at the Islamabad Club Auditorium on 18th November, 2014. Regional winners from Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, and Islamabad took part in the competition.

Approximately 18 schools and 27 students took part in the National level of the competition. The Round One was played among nine participants from each category. The Round Two was played among six finalists of Round One, while “To Bee or Not to Bee Round” which was Round Three, played in case of a tie.

The winners of Dawn In Education National Spelling Bee Competition 2014 are:

Category nine 9-11 years: National Champion: Sana Zar Khan, Roots School System,

Lahore; First Runner-up: Izma Arif, Happy Home School, Karachi; and Second Runner-up: Mahnoor Mushtaq, Preparatory School, Islamabad.

Category nine 12-14 years: National Champion: Saud Afzal Shafi, Beaconhouse School System, Gujarat; First Runner-up: Sadat Tauseef, EMS, Girls Branch; Second Runner-up: Huba Shahzad, Lahore Grammar School.

Category nine 15-17 years: National Champion: Leila Rasul Khan, Karachi Grammar School; First Runner-up: Saad Bin Amir, Roots School System, DHA-I; Second Runner-up: Rama Ali, Generation School, Karachi.

Chairperson Mrs Amber H. Saigol and the US Ambassador Mr Richard Olson presided as the Chief Guests of the event.

The US Ambassador Mr Richard Olson distributed trophies, cash prizes and certificates among the winners, participants, judges and the pronouncers.

The jury for the competition comprised two judges per session, Ms Ameena Saiyid and Ms Zara Ansari, courtesy Oxford University Press.

Ms Rabeea Salman was the moderator and Mr Faizan was the Master of Ceremony from Dawn Media Group. The pronouncer for the competition was Ms Azka Khan.