Scripps National Spelling Bee heads to Washington, D.C. for National Press Club's "Politicians vs. Press" fundraising event

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Oct 20, 2015, 09:30 ET

CINCINNATI, Oct. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The Scripps National Spelling Bee returns to the nation's capital this week to administer a spelling competition. The spellers in this contest are very different from the middle school children who descend upon Washington, D.C. every May. This time, members of Congress will go up against members of the news media in the "Politicians vs. Press" event hosted by the National Press Club on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. ET.

For the politicians' team, participants include Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., Rep. Brad Ashford, D-Neb., Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J. and Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn. The team attempting to win for journalists includes Angela Greiling Keane of Bloomberg News, David Kerley of ABC News, Rebecca Sinderbrand of The Washington Post, Yochi Dreazen of Foreign Policy, Rod Kuckro of E&E News, Karoun Demirjian of The Washington Post, Ellyn Ferguson of CQ Roll Call and Nick Gass of Politico.

"The Scripps National Spelling Bee is proud to be administering this competition for the National Press Club," said Paige Kimble, executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. "As the world's leading authority on spelling bees, it is fitting for us to partner with an organization that respects and values its traditions as much as we do. We take our spelling seriously, but we also recognize this event as an opportunity to raise money for a worthy cause and a chance for two high-profile groups to show off their mastery of words under the pressures of onstage spelling."

The event includes a competition for individual supremacy and one for team domination. In 2013, Sen. Kaine won the title of "The Best Speller in the United States." The journalists won the team competition by edging out the politicians with a score of 38-36. In this contest, a correct spelling yields a point for the speller's team. It also forgives a mistake. Spellers will be eliminated after their second misspelling. During a round, teams will alternate in sending spellers to the microphone in speller number order. The team with the most points at the end will be declared Team Champion. When there is one lone speller remaining, he or she must spell the word correctly in that round and then spell a second word correctly in the final one-word round to be declared Champion.

The event, sponsored by Discovery Communications, is a continuation of a tradition started back in 1913, when the National Press Club held a spelling bee pitting elected officials against news reporters. President Woodrow Wilson and members of his Cabinet were among the 1,000 people who showed up to watch a representative from Ohio win.

The audience will be entertained by more than just the spellers. The event will kick off with a performance by comedian Tim Young and an after-party featuring cover band White Ford Bronco. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the National Press Club's Journalism Institute, which offers innovative, practical training to journalists and communications professionals working in a rapidly changing media environment.

Tickets are $10 for members, $15 for non-members. You can order tickets here or purchase them with a credit card at the door until 7:30 p.m. the night of the event. The National Press Club is located at 529 14^th St. NW, 13^th floor, Washington, D.C. 20045

Join the conversation @ScrippsBee, @PressClubDC and #NPCBee.

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 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, over-the-top video news service Newsy and weather app developer WeatherSphere. Scripps also produces television shows including The List and The Now, runs an award-winning investigative reporting newsroom in Washington, D.C., and serves as the long-time steward of the nation's largest, most successful and longest-running educational program, the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps has held for decades to the motto, "Give light and the people will find their own way."