LAHORE: The second edition of the Pakistan Spelling Bee will be held from August to November 2024, for both English and Urdu languages.

The event is organised by Storykit. After last year’s successful inaugural event in which over 6,500 students from 215 schools of 38 cities participated, the 2024 event will see regional championships held in nine cities: Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Gilgit, Multan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala.

The national championship will be held in Islamabad at the end of November and early December. Prizes worth Rs1.4m will be given to the national champions, said a press release.

For 2024, the Pakistan Spelling Bee has released its anthem, written by Michelle Farooqi. Another feature of 2024 is the PSB Student Ambassador Programme open to primary, middle and secondary school students. These students will represent the spelling bee in schools and communities. During the regional championships, 27 cash prizes of Rs25,000 each will be given to the top performers.

Musharraf Ali Farooqi, the CEO of Storykit, said inclusivity had been their aim from conception of the project, and it had been achieved through the Urdu Spelling Bee, successful outreach to public schools and programmes like the student ambassador. Registrations of spelling bee championship are open to schools and can be made online at pakistanspellingbee.com or by mail. The early bird discount is available to schools until May 31.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2024