Photo: Courtesy of Boston Centers for Youth & Families
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — How do you spell "winner?" 11-year-old Tanoshi Inomata.
The Allston fifth grader won the 16th annual Boston Centers for Youth & Families Citywide Spelling Bee Saturday, defeating 21 other competitors to hoist the trophy for the second year in a row.
He clinched his victory with the winning word "cornea" after 13 regular rounds, a final round, and a championship round.
Inomata will move on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. in May.
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"I am so proud of all of our students today who showcased the many bright minds and talents of our City’s young people," Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement. "Congratulations to Tanoshi for your hard work and all of Boston will be cheering for you in Washington D.C."
Along with his trophy and advancement to the national spelling bee contest, Inomata won the Samuel Louis Sugarman Award, a 2024 U.S Mint Proof Set, and one-year subscriptions to an encyclopedia, dictionary, and virtual library.
12-year-old Sapna Malhotra from Boston finished in second place, while 12-year-old Morgan Bocchicchio Chaudhri from Dorchester secured third place. Both received $125 Amazon gift cards and trophies.
This year's Bee was held in Rabb Hall at the Boston Public Library and sponsored by the Boston Bruins Foundation. The judges were Mayor Wu's Chief of Staff Tiffany Chu, Northeastern University English professor Sebastian Stockman, and former Bruins player and Bruins Foundation member Dave Silk.
More than 3,000 youths participated in Boston public school and parochial school bees to qualify for the BCYF Spelling Bee.
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