The 23rd Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in

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District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

on Friday, May 26, 1950, sponsored by the

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, at the

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auditorium.(24 May 1950)
Spelling Champs Tour Capital Before Big Contest on Friday
''Salem News'' (Ohio) ("before the big test Friday at 9 a.m. in the National Press Club auditorium") The co-winners were 12-year-old Diana Reynard of

East Cleveland, Ohio East Cleveland is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and is the first suburb encountered when travelling east from Cleveland. The population was 13,792 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. East Clevela ...

and 14-year-old Colquitt Dean of

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. This was the first time in National Spelling Bee history that the word list was exhausted and co-champions had to be declared. The final word was ''meticulosity''. Each received the first place prize of $500 and a trip to New York. Third place went to Jim Bernhard of

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, who missed "haruspex", and received $300.(27 May 1950)
Run Out of Words: Award 2 Prize
''Daytona Morning Beach Journal'' (

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

)Bernhard, Jim (1 June 2015)
To Bee or Not to Bee
''Words Going Wild'' (Blogpost by Bernhard posted in 2015) The field of spellers was reduced to Reynard and Dean after 29 rounds, and they both correctly spelled a number of following words. Dean was almost excluded on "ferule" until the judges determined it was a proper spelling. The two continued until the Bee's third and final supplementary word list had been used up.Maguire, James
American Bee: The National Spelling Bee and the Culture of Word Nerds
p. 74-75(2006) Dean politely refused requests to embrace Reynard for photographers, fearing the reaction it might cause back home to be seen hugging a girl.(30 May 1950)
Spelling Judges Ran Out of Words
''Sydney Morning Herald'' There were 50 spellers that year – 31 girls and 19 boys. Audrey Mathews was the first one eliminated for the spelling "", but was reinstated after the judges found that it was listed in

Webster's dictionary ''Webster's Dictionary'' is any of the English language dictionaries edited in the early 19th century by American lexicographer Noah Webster (1758–1843), as well as numerous related or unrelated dictionaries that have adopted the Webster's n ...

as a variant spelling for the normal "supersede".(26 May 1950)
Webster Saves Girl Speller
''Evening Independent'' (Associated Press)

References

{{Scripps National Spelling Bee Scripps National Spelling Bee competitions 1950 awards 1950 in education Scripps May 1950 events in the United States