Registration Details

The South African Spelling Bee

Registration Details

The South African Spelling Bee is committed to promoting literacy, confidence, communication skills, and academic excellence among learners across South Africa. This page contains everything schools, parents, and participants need to know about registration for the season.

Why Participate?

Academic Development

Learners improve spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.

Confidence Building

Participants develop confidence in public speaking and communication.

National Exposure

Top participants gain recognition at provincial and national levels.

Scholarship & Prize Opportunities

Outstanding participants may qualify for awards, sponsorships, and educational opportunities.

Why Participate?

Academic Development

Learners improve spelling, pronunciation, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.

Confidence Building

Participants develop confidence in public speaking and communication.

National Exposure

Top participants gain recognition at provincial and national levels.

Scholarship & Prize Opportunities

Outstanding participants may qualify for awards, sponsorships, and educational opportunities.

How To Participate

Two Ways To Enter

There are Two Pathways to enter the South African Spelling Bee.

Open Competitions & DBE Hosted Competitions.

The top spellers from both the Open Competitions and DBE-hosted competitions will be invited to the South African Spelling Bee National Finals.

Open Competitions

The South African Spelling Bee Open Competitions are independently hosted events open to learners from public schools, private schools, homeschool groups and community organisations.

These events create a festival atmosphere celebrating literacy, arts and youth excellence, while also serving as qualifying opportunities for top learners to progress to the National Finals.

Open Competitions will include:

Individual spelling rounds
Speed spelling challenges
Multilingual elements
Regional language sections
Theme-based written activities
Arts, poetry and literacy showcases
Opportunities for schools, libraries and literacy organisations to participate

DBE-Hosted Competitions

The second pathway into the National Finals will be through competitions hosted in partnership with the South African Department of Basic Education (DBE), provincial departments and district structures.

These competitions will take place at:

School level
Circuit level
District level
Provincial level

Top learners from district and provincial competitions will qualify for provincial finals and ultimately the South African National Finals.

The DBE-hosted pathway continues to expand access to spelling bees across South Africa and strengthens reading and literacy development in schools and communities.

Get on Board

Register Now

To complete your registration, please visit the COMPETITION CALENDAR page.

From the competition calendar, you can select the Open Competition in your province, then select your category (Junior or Senior) and complete the registration process.

Our History So Far

Quick Stats

13+

National Championships

500k+

Student Participants

17+

Tertiary Scholarships Awarded

HEAR FROM OUR GREAT

Spellers, Parents & Partners

RSA Basic Education

The Department values its partnership with A Better Africa and looks forward to continued collaboration in advancing literacy initiatives and creating opportunities for learners to excel on both continental and global stages.

Khanya Tolom (Parent)

As a parent, my heart was so full. This is not just about spelling. It’s about the sacrifices, the late nights, the discipline, the courage… and seeing it all come together like that, in such a powerful space, brought me to tears.

RSA Basic Education

The event was executed with a high level of professionalism and excellence, reflecting your dedication and commitment to promoting literacy and educational development across the African continent.

Khanya Tolom (Parent)

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to Mr Roger Dickinson and your beautiful wife , the entire South African Spelling Bee team. You are changing lives. You are giving our children a future, a voice, and a global stage.