The 66th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C., on June 2–3, 1993, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
The winner was 14-year-old Geoff Hooper of Arlington, Tennessee, winning with the word "kamikaze" in the 16th round.Vest, Jason (4 June 1993). King Bee for a Spell, The Washington Post(4 June 1993). 'Kamikaze' seals spelling bee win, The Baltimore Sun(4 June 1993). 8th Grader Wins a Contest, Saying, Oh, It Was E-A-S-Y, The New York Times
Second place went to David Urban, 13, of Amarillo, Texas, who misspelled "renascent" and had finished 66th the prior year, followed by Yuni Kim, 12, of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in third, who went out on "apotheosize".(4 June 1993). Boy is kamikaze at spelling bee, The Hour (Associated Press)(4 June 1993). Pottsville Girl Places Third On First Try, The Morning Call
Fourth-place went to 9-year-old Wendy Guey,Miller, Jill Young (2 June 1994). Down to the Letter, Sun Sentinel who went on to win three years later.
This year's contest had 235 entrants, including 131 girls and 104 boys, from 49 states as well as the Virgin Islands, Guam, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and one entrant from Germany where her father was stationed with the military.
After the first day and three rounds, the competition was reduced by 101 spellers. 69 spellers made it to sixth round, a "killer round" which then eliminated 31 more. 19 spellers were then eliminated in the seventh round.Cass, Connie (3 June 1993). Spelling bee field narrows to 19, Associated PressAtanasov, Maria (18 June 1993). Under A Spell Davie Student Finally Makes It To Finals Of National Spelling Bee, Sun Sentinel A total of 963 words were used.
The first place prize was $5000, second was $4000, third paid $2500, and fourth $1000.
CNN provided live coverage of the final rounds.(28 May 1993). Teen flies to spell-off, The Bulletin
References