THE Regional Championship for the 10th DAWN In Education Spelling Bee 2014 was held at the Islamabad Club Auditorium, from October 21 to October 24, 2014.

The competition commenced with the Pool Rounds that were played in Skardu at on September 24 and 25, 2014.

Teams from Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Abottabad, Muzzaffarabad, Mirpur, Hasanabdal, Chakwal, Kohat, Kahrian, Risalpur, Mardan, Peshawar, Charsada, Skardu, Khaplu, Kawardu and many more surrounding areas of Gilgit Baltistan participated in the competition.

Approximately 200 schools and 1,000 students participated in the competition. The pool rounds were played among 10-12 teams in each pool. From these participants, the regional winners qualified for the National Spelling Bee Competition. And the winners were as follows:

Category nine to 11 years: Islamabad Regional Champion: Zabinda Salman, Beaconhouse School System; First Runner-up: Mahnoor Mushtaq, Preparatory School, and Second Runner-up: Ali Usman, Roots School System, Sawan Campus.

Category 12 to 14 years: Islamabad Regional Champion: Sadaf Tauseef, EMS Girls School; First Runner-up: Hamza Arshad, EMS Boys School; Second Runner-up: Mariam Yaqoob, Preparatory School.

Category 15 to 17 years: Islamabad Regional Champion: Saad Bin Amir, Roots School, DHA I; First Runner-up: Aneeqa Rehman Qureshi, Winnington School, Jhelum; Second Runner-up: Warda Malik, Roots School System.

Category nine to 11 years: Skardu Pool Round Champion: Sara Ali Jan; First Runner-up: Farheen Zahra; Second Runner-up: Sara Naseem, Public School, Sadpara, Skardu.

Category 12 to 14 years: Skardu Pool Round Champion: M. Ali Ayan, Pepperdine School for Advanced Studies; First Runner-up: Mohaddisa Zahra, Public school & College Sadpara; Second Runner-up: Zuhair Ahmad, Pepperdine School for Advanced Studies.

Category 15 to 17 years: Skardu Pool Round Champion: Huma Shahid; First Runner-up: Nasreen Zahra, Public School & College, Sadpara; Second Runner-up: Wazir Ahmad Salman, Pepperdine School for Advanced Studies.

Certificates were distributed among the regional winners and the participants by the judges of the competition.

The jury for the competition comprised two judges per session; courtesy Oxford University Press. Ms Wajeeha Malik was the Moderator from Dawn. Pronouncers for the competition were Ms Azka Khan and Mr Faez Roger.