Sydney year 6 student wins state spelling bee after marathon rounds
Year 6 student Afeef Ahmed won NSW's Premier's Spelling Bee finals after outlasting 34 finalists.
Afeef Ahmed, a year 6 student, won the NSW Premier's Spelling Bee finals on Friday after competing through nine intense rounds at a Sydney theatre. Afeef Ahmed was one of 34 finalists who made it through from 1,070 public schools across New South Wales, representing the top 0.03 per cent of about 200,000 competitors.
Five finalists had reached the state finals before, including last year's runner-up Bobby Ivaneza, who misspelled 'unserviceable' in round nine. The final rounds stretched on as two competitors remained in contention.
Maximilian Lumley finished second while Alesha Kahfandi took third. Ahmed's mother had trained him for months, half an hour every night before bed.
- 200,000
- Total competitors
- 34
- Finalists
- 0.03 percent
- Top percentile
- 9
- Competition rounds
Why it mattersThe competition highlights the dedication and skills of young Australian students and the rigour of state-level academic contests.
AustraliaThis NSW competition celebrates primary school achievement and the work of students across the state in a classic academic challenge.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 4 h ago
