• Each team will consist of three members, including the captain.

• The MC will pronounce the word, give the definition of the word, use it in a sentence and pronounce the word once more. Participants in each round may ask the MC to pronounce the word one additional time, but no more.

• Team members may collaborate on the spelling of a word.  Each team will have 30 seconds to spell the word by writing it on the wordboard distributed to each team at the beginning of the Bee. Following one warning, any team that does not hold up the wordboard when the judges call for it will be eliminated.

• Upon missing the spelling of two words, a team is eliminated.  A round is over when all but one team is eliminated. The winner of each round will go on to compete in the Championship Round. Only one team from each round may go on to participate in the Championship Round. In the event of a tie, the MCs shall give additional words to the teams that have tied until a winner emerges from the round. If no team in a particular round spells a word correctly, the MCs shall give additional words until one team wins.

• The winner of each round shall participate in the Championship Round. This round will be conducted like the other rounds with one difference.  The MCs will give words until all but two teams are eliminated. If a word results in the elimination of all but one team, that word will not count. The team that spelled the word correctly shall be allowed to replace a flag if it has only one remaining. The MC shall give additional words until two teams are remaining. After all but two teams have been eliminated, the final two teams shall compete to determine the winner of the Bee.  The winner will be declared after one of the two teams spells one word incorrectly.

• Webster's Third New International Dictionary (Unabridged), the official Bee dictionary, is the source for spelling and pronunciation. Spelling includes the correct placement of any additional characters such as hyphens, accent marks, or apostrophes.

• The judges will make the final decision on all questions, including disputes concerning pronunciation. There will be no appeals.

GOOD LUCK!