Scripps National Spelling Bee And Kindle Present Spellebrity Video Contest For National Reading Month

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Mar 02, 2016, 08:00 ET

CINCINNATI, March 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today begins a month-long celebration of reading, spelling, words and vocabulary. The Scripps National Spelling Bee, presented by Kindle, kicks off National Reading Month with the launch of the Spellebrity Video Contest. The event invites students to produce a creative video that spells out how to kindle the love of reading. Five Finalist teams earn a huge prize: an expenses-paid trip to the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee this May 22-27, near Washington, D.C.

Scripps National Spelling Bee and Kindle announce Spellebrity video contest

The Scripps National Spelling Bee, the nation's largest and longest-running educational program, last month announced Kindle as its presenting sponsor. Both brands are working to elevate the belief that reading, spelling and vocabulary are critically important to a child's lifelong achievement. With the Spellebrity Video Contest, students will use their imagination to combine spelling and reading into a fun and inspiring message.

Spellebrity Video Contest Basics:

Eligibility: Students who have not passed beyond eighth grade and who are legal residents of the United States and its territories
Team: 1-4 members on a team
Team member requirements: Script, record and edit the video
Video length: No longer than five minutes
Video theme: Spell out how to kindle the love of reading and feature three words that would be useful in a spelling bee. The video narrative should inspire viewers to read more.
Adult involvement: Students must have the support of a parent or teacher who will be responsible for submitting the video and uploading a completed parental consent form (for each student) on spellebrity.com
Deadline to submit: April 4
Videos should be free of any copyrighted material, text, images and music
See Official Rules and Terms of Participation

"The Scripps National Spelling Bee captures the competitive spirit of more than 11 million students," said Paige Kimble, executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. "Only about 280 of them advance to the National Finals. The Spellebrity Video Contest delivers another chance for many to showcase their mastery of the English language through video storytelling. With Kindle as our presenting sponsor, we look forward to seeing the approaches these creative young minds take."

Videos can be submitted through April 4. A judging panel will review all of the submissions and select 10 Semifinalist videos. The Semifinalist videos will be posted to spellingbee.com, where the public will vote for the best videos. The five videos that receive the most votes will advance to the National Finals where participants in the Scripps National Spelling Bee will vote for the best video. The Champion video will be announced during the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee Awards Banquet.

Prizes:

Each member of the Semifinalist teams (10) will receive a Kindle Paperwhite.
Each member of the Finalist teams (5) will receive an expenses-paid trip to the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee:
- Economy airfare or train fare for each team member and a parent/guardian
- One standard hotel room at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center
- $400 gift card for travel and meal expenses
- Complimentary tickets for each team member and parent/guardian for the National Zoo experience, a Bee-organized tour of Washington, D.C., and the Awards Banquet
Each member of the Champion team (1) will receive:
- $1,000 cash award
- Trophy

Key dates:
March 2-April 4 – Submit videos to spellebrity.com
April 5-10 – Judging panel selects 10 Semifinalist videos
April 18-22 – Public votes on spellingbee.com for favorite Semifinalist video
April 25 – Announcement of five Finalist videos at spellingbee.com
May 22-26 – Finalist videos presented and voted on during Bee Week
May 27 –Champion video announced at 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee Awards Banquet

About the Scripps National Spelling Bee:
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation's largest and longest-running educational program. The purpose of the Scripps National Spelling Bee is to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all of their lives. Visit spellingbee.com for more information about the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which is administered on a not-for-profit basis by The E.W. Scripps Company.

About Scripps:
The E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP) serves audiences and businesses through a growing portfolio of television, radio and digital media brands. Scripps is one of the nation's largest independent TV station owners, with 33 television stations in 24 markets and a reach of nearly one in five U.S. households. It also owns 34 radio stations in eight markets. Scripps also runs an expanding collection of local and national digital journalism and information businesses, including podcast industry leader Midroll Media and over-the-top video news service Newsy. Scripps also produces television shows including "THE LIST" and"The Now" and runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, "Give light and the people will find their own way."

About Amazon:
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

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SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company