NSW Premier's Spelling Bee

Years 2 to 6

The Premier's Spelling Bee is an engaging way for NSW public primary school students to expand their vocabularies and improve their spelling. Designed for Stage 2 and 3, Stage 1 students are welcome to participate.

The program includes activities that encourage students to become more confident users of language through broadening their vocabulary, and promotes improved literacy skills in conjunction with the NSW English K to 10 syllabus.

Image
2023 Senior Premier's Spelling Bee State Finals champion, Trilok Shenoy, stands in front of a microphone to spell a word.

Forward planning – 2024 dates

Entry form for school enrolments 2024 Premier's Spelling Bee is now open.

The password will be available on school enrolment.

There are no entry fees for the bee.

Stage Dates Term/Week
Enrolment opens Monday 11 March Term 1 Week 7
Enrolment closes Friday 21 June Term 2 Week 8
Regional names deadline Friday 5 July Term 2 Week 10
Regional Finals (online) Monday 12 to Friday 23 August Term 3 Weeks 4 and 5
State Finals Friday 1 November Term 4 Week 4

Word lists

There is a straightforward vocabulary word list and an annotated list supplying pronunciation, word group, meaning and example sentences. The lists may be useful in classroom practice as well as a resource for keen spellers.

Juniors – Years 3 and 4

Seniors – Years 5 and 6

All lists are password-protected. The above wordlist links will become active from the enrolment launch.

Copyright notice

The NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee 2024 junior and senior word lists are for your personal use only. No part of this word list covered by copyright may be reproduced, copied, shared or made available on the internet, via email, on an intranet, or by any other means without written permission of the publisher. Copyright © Macquarie Dictionary Publishers 2024| macquariedictionary.com.au

The 2024 Premier's Spelling Bee poster may be downloaded via this link. poster (PDF 2.29 MB)

This year's artwork is 'The Realistic Bee', by Year 3 student Benjamin Ma, and is his Year 3 entry to 2023 Operation Art.

The Bee is open to students in NSW Public, Community and Central Schools in two categories.

  • Junior Spelling Bee – Years 3 and 4 (Stage 1 are welcome)
  • Senior Spelling Bee – Years 5 and 6

Please note – one Junior and one Senior student represent their school at regional finals. 2024 regional finals will be held using video connections. One senior and one junior speller from each regional will then go on to State finals.

The 2024 word lists will be available on enrolment, via the confirmation email you will receive. Please read all copyright conditions carefully, so you may distribute the lists according to licence agreements.


    2023 Junior State Final

    Last year’s State Finals of the spelling bee were held on 3 November at the Eugene Goossens Hall, ABC Studios. An impressive line-up of students gleaned from 880 public schools and almost 180,000 participants made it to be among the last 60 standing. All deserve congratulations for that achievement!

    With the help of Epping Public School, who chaired the Junior competition, and with our wonderful announcer, Ms Naidoo, the Junior rounds were fiercely contested through 9 rounds before a winner was decided.

    View the Junior State Finals on the Premier's Spelling Bee videos page.

    View the photos of the state finals.

    2023 Senior State Final

    The Senior competition was an absolute marathon. With most of the field eliminated by round 8, just three boys battled it out on increasingly difficult words for another 5 rounds, wherein the 2022 Junior State champion Saarth Deo, from Castle Hill Public School, was eliminated. What followed was unprecedented: the ultimate winner, Trilok Shenoy, from Darcy Road Public School, and Aditya Paul, representing Epping Public School, proceeded to go head-to-head for a further 12 rounds.

    With Ngarala Public School chairing and the experienced Ms Toni Matthews as announcer, the afternoon competition was an exciting end to the great deal of work schools, teachers, and students have put into their spelling skills.

    View the Senior State Finals on the Premier's Spelling Bee videos page.

    View the photos of the state finals.


    Resources

    The spelling bee resource page contains a wide variety of resources available for use in the preparation of students for the Premier's Spelling Bee in 2023. 

    There are also a range of school resources available to support the organisation of a spelling bee.

    Video – How to run a school competition for the Premier's Spelling Bee (Duration 19:04)

    Preparing for the spelling bee regional finals over Zoom

    Duration: 8:10

    Jade Arnold, NSW premier's program officer, reading and spelling, at the Arts Unit, shares valuable insights on preparing students for the regional finals held over Zoom. This guidance is essential for school-based teachers looking to familiarise themselves with the structure of the NSW Premier's Spelling Bee and how to prepare students for participation in the regional finals.  By following these recommendations, teachers can ensure a seamless experience for participants and maximise the effectiveness of the competition.

    Video transcript – Preparing for the spelling bee regional finals over Zoom

    Enquiries

    The Spelling Bee team
    The Arts Unit

    The NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee is proudly supported by Major Sponsor Grok Academy, Supporters, Primary English Teaching Association Australia and ACCO Brands Australia, and Official word list partner Macquarie Dictionary