Who is the young subject of the story?
Arvind Mahankali
How old is he?
13
What did he win?
the Scripps National Spelling Bee
What was the winning word?
"knaidel"
What is he doing after this event?
studying physics
What does he want to do when he grows up?
wants to become a physicist
How did he do in his last two competitions?
he finished third
What kind of words did he have trouble with?
words with German roots
What was the origin of the final word this time?
German
What does the word mean?
dumpling
Who was the runner-up?
Pranav Sivakumar
How old is he?
13
Where's he from?
Tower Lakes, Illinois
What did he misspell?
"cyanophycean"
What other word did the winning contestant get right?
"tokonoma"
What's the financial reward for the winner?
$32,500 in cash
Do they also get a trophy?
yes
Anything else?
yes
What?
a library of reference materials
How many kids participate in the prelims for the event?
eleven million