Scripps National Spelling Bee Finalists Compete to W-I-N

Sravanth Malla, from Thiells, New York, reacts as he is eliminated during the final round of the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee in National Harbor, Maryland on May 31, 2018.

The 16 finalists competed for $40,000 and the championship trophy.

Naysa Modi, 12, from Frisco, Texas, turns from the microphone after correctly spelling a word.

Aisha Randhawa is given high-fives by fellow competitors after she misspelled 'perduellion' during the final rounds of the 91st Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Forty one finalists were selected to participate in the final day after a record 516 spellers were officially invited, up from 291 in 2017.

Shruthika Padhy relaxes between rounds.

Erin Howard, 13, from Huntsville, Ala., speaks with judges during the evening finals. Howard spelled the word incorrectly.

Phoebe Smith, 12, from Aston, Pa., from left, and Nilla Rajan, 13, from Chillicothe, Ohio, celebrate as a competitor spells her word correctly.

Aisha Randhawa, 12, from Corona, Calif., reacts to spelling a word correctly.

Abhijay Kodali, from Dallas, Texas has a laugh with the judges during the final round.

Naysa Modi, 12, from Frisco, Texas, fourth from left, covers her face as her video profile is aired during the evening finals.

From left are the six remaining spellers, Jashun Paluru, 13, from West Lafayette, Ind., Navneeth Murali, 12, from Edison, N.J., Sravanth Malla, 14, from Haverstraw, N.Y., Naysa Modi, 12, from Frisco, Texas, Karthik Nemmani, 14, from McKinney, Texas, and Abhijay Kodali, 11, from Flower Mound, Texas.

Melodie Loya, 13, from Bainbridge, N.Y., from left, hugs her friend Phoebe Smith, 12, from Aston, Pa., after Smith was eliminated during the evening finals. The girls said they are best friends during a taped segment at the bee.

Paul Hamrick, from Salinas, California, thinks before spelling during the final round.

Medina Miranda, 13, from Long Beach, Calif., spells her word incorrectly during the finals.

Abhijay Kodali successfully spells the word 'ceinture' during the final rounds.

Karthik Nemmani, 14, from McKinney, Texas, holds the Scripps National Spelling Bee Championship Trophy with Scripps President and Chief Executive Officer Adam Symson after his win.