Since 1927, The Buffalo News, in cooperation with area schools, has sponsored the spelling bee for sixth, seventh and eighth grade students from Erie, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Livingston, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties and once again everything is available online.  But before you register with us, you need to register with Scripps National Bee.

Scripps National is requiring a materials and enrollment fee from all schools who want to participate. For details, go to www.spellingbee.com.

After you have registered with Scripps National, it is time for you to register with us. You must register with both, but there is no extra fee to sign on with The Buffalo News Spelling Bee. You can Just click on the items in the navigation bar at the left and download all the information.  The registration form and champion speller form can be filled out on your computer and then just emailed back to spellingbee@buffnews.com. The News will no longer be sending out Spell It!. It is now available free from Merriam-Webster at www.myspellit.com. Scripps will mail 25 copies to enrolled school.

The top scorer in each of the ten areas along with the students who received the next ten highest scores compete in the oral finals, with the winner representing The News and Western New York in the national spelling bee to take place in Washington, DC. the last week of May.

On February 4, school champions will take a standardized written test to determine the lineup for the 2009 oral finals of the 82nd annual Buffalo News Spelling Bee. The student with the highest score in each division, along with the next ten highest scores overall will vie for the championship on March 8th, 1:30 pm, in the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society Auditorium. The winner of that bee will travel to Washington on Southwest Airlines on an all expense paid trip for the National Finals in May.

The local title also carries a $100.00 cash award, $50.00 in additional spending money for the trip and an engraved pen and pencil set.

The second place winner will win $75, third wins $50, fourth place prize is $35 and fifth is $25. All each also receive an engraved pen and pencil set.

A special $25 cash award is always awarded to the contestant scoring the highest grade on the written test. The winner will be announced at the bee on March 8th.

Other prizes to be given out at the competition include:

Webster's Third New International Dictionary and its Addenda section, The Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, a $100 Series EE U.S. Savings Bond, Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition and gifts from the Scripps National Spelling Bee and The Buffalo News.

All champions from schools registered in the 2009 Buffalo News Spelling Bee will receive a dictionary, thesaurus or other reference book from The News, with a certificate of merit for each school runner-up.

The pronouncer at the March 8 bee will be Cynthia Pearson, retired English teacher at South Park High School. Judges are Dr. Kathleen Kreis, retired director of English and Library Services for the Buffalo Public Schools, Mrs. Ann Laudisio, Principal of Maplemere Elementary School; and Deborah Patti, Promotions coordinator for The News. Dr. Kreis and Ms. Pearson also prepare both the written and oral tests.