Yugen Padhye, an 11-year-old student at Tokyo YMCA International School, won the 12th Japan Spelling Bee on March 6, after correctly spelling the winning word — "dodecahedron," a three-dimensional, 12-faced shape.
Padhye will now have the chance to take part in the Scripps National Spelling Bee contest, for which the top 10 to 12 spellers from across the globe will gather in person in Orlando, Florida, on July 8, according to organizers. But he will first need to go through the screening process — the preliminary, quarterfinal and semifinal — which will be held virtually in the weeks prior to the finals.
