Genre Spelling bee Inaugurated 2013 | Location(s) Asia Patron(s) Qooco | |
Frequency Annual (late October or November) | ||
The Asia Spelling Cup is the largest annual spelling bee in Southeast Asia, and is organised by Qooco, a mobile language learning solutions provider. The first Asia Spelling Cup took place in Singapore in 2013, the next event took place in Bali, Indonesia in 2014, and the next in Bangkok, Thailand in 2015. The 2016 Asia Spelling Cup took place in Bangkok, Thailand, at the Conrad Hotel on November 12, 2016.
Contents
The Asia Spelling Cup draws on primary and secondary school students in various countries in Asia, including Malaysia, Thailand, China and Indonesia. The 2013 event included Singaporean students.
The Asia Spelling Cup is the only major spelling bee that uses mobile tests in its pre-selection process, through which finalists are chosen who will then go on to compete in the finals.
The competition
The Asia Spelling Cup consists of two parts, the Pre-Selection process and the finals
Pre-selection process
The pre-selection process is done online and via mobile, using testing software developed and provided by Qooco. Given the size of the Asian region from which students are drawn, mobile is deemed the most effective way of reaching the largest number of students.
After completing the online tests, students are ranked by score, with the top students chosen for the finals. Pre-selection rounds regularly exceed 100,000 applicants.
Finals
The finals are usually held in a major city in Southeast Asia, in a hotel conference room or resort.
The Finals are split into two parts, the first part is the Primary school level competition, and the second part is the Secondary school level competition. Each student takes it in turn to go on stage and spell the word given to them, with each contestant receiving a unique word. Should they miss their word, a bell will be rung by the judges and they will be deemed to have failed the round.
As the rounds progress, the words will become progressively harder until the number of contestants has thinned to the point that a winner can be identified.
Contestants are allowed to ask the judges for the definition of the word they are given, its use in a sentence, its origin, and alternative pronunciations where applicable. They are given two minutes to spell each word.