Dallas Sports Commission Crowns Three Champions at 67th Annual Dallas Regional Spelling Bee

DALLAS – The Dallas Sports Commission is proud to announce that Champion Faizan Zaki, a 7th grader at Rice Middle School in Plano; First Runner-Up Avishka Dudala, a 7th grader at Rogers Middle School in Prosper; and Second Runner-Up Shreyansh Zadoo, an 8th grader at Van Alstyne Junior High School, have advanced as the top three spellers from the 67th Annual Dallas Regional Spelling Bee (DRSB) to compete at the prestigious 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Showcasing the region’s brightest young spellers, the 67th Annual Dallas Regional Spelling Bee, presented by the Dallas Sports Commission, took place at the WFAA studios in downtown Dallas on Saturday, March 8 in front of an audience of parents, educators, and North Texas community leaders.

After six exciting rounds, Faizan Zaki won the championship round by correctly spelling the word “Nephthytis”. Zaki also advanced to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2019, 2023 and 2024. He finished as the national runner-up in last year’s national competition.

“I’m so excited,” Faizan Zaki said after hoisting the championship trophy at the Dallas Regional Spelling Bee. ” This marks my fourth time advancing to the National Spelling Bee. It’s a great experience and I’ll make sure to study hard.”

The Dallas Sports Commission is awarding each finalist and a guardian an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C., with flights courtesy of Southwest Airlines. These talented students will compete against the nation’s best from May 26 to June 1, 2025, in a battle of linguistic excellence. Additional details on the Scripps National Spelling Bee are available at www.spellingbee.com.

The 67th Annual DRSB featured 27 outstanding contestants from 20 counties ranging from third to eighth grade. These students emerged from a competitive field of approximately 114,000 students from 854 schools. Each participant earned their place by winning their respective school, district and county bees, proving their mastery of spelling at multiple levels.

“It is incredible to see the dedication, determination and skills these young students possess as they compete at the Dallas Regional Spelling Bee,” said Monica Paul, Executive Director of the Dallas Sports Commission. “The Dallas Sports Commission congratulates all 27 participants of the Regional Bee and Faizan Zaki, Avishka Dudala and Shreyansh Zadoo for advancing. We know they will represent their families, schools, and the Dallas community well at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.”

The Dallas Regional Bee will be presented on WFAA’s streaming platform WFAA+ on May 10. This year’s bee sponsors include Leon Capital Group, Southwest Airlines, and WFAA.

About the Dallas Sports Commission

As a division of Visit Dallas, the Dallas Sports Commission (DSC) is passionately committed to generating economic impact and enriching the quality of life within our community through sports. The DSC attracts and hosts amateur, grassroots, collegiate, and professional championship events. Since 2014, the DSC has hosted over 614 events, welcomed more than 9.5 million attendees, and generated over $5.4 billion in economic impact.