The 30th

Scripps National Spelling Bee The Scripps National Spelling Bee (formerly the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee and commonly called the National Spelling Bee) is an annual spelling bee held in the United States. The bee is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W. Scri ...

was held in

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

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 June 7, 1957, by the

E.W. Scripps Company The E. W. Scripps Company is an American broadcasting company founded in 1878 as a chain of daily newspapers by Edward Willis "E. W." Scripps and his sister, Ellen Browning Scripps. It was also formerly a media conglomerate. The company is he ...

. 67 contestants participated. The winners were Dana Bennett (age 13 of

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

) and Sandra Owen (age 14 of

Navarre, Ohio Navarre (named after the Navarre region in Spain) is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Stark County, Ohio, Stark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,957 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is part of the Canton- ...

), declared co-champions after the word list was exhausted. The final word was '' schappe'', which both failed to correctly spell. The competition lasts 37 rounds, the last 14 with only the final two contestants. At one point Owen was overcome with tears, and Bennett became nauseated, leading to a 10-minute recess. Each winner received a $1000 prize and trip to New York. Owen had been the runner-up in the prior year's competition. This was the second-ever tie in the competition, the first occurring at the 1950 bee. The winners got to meet Vice President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

on June 9.(10 June 1957)
Nixon Sees Winners of U.S. Spelling Bee
''Toledo Blade'' Third place went to Mary Gilliland, 13, of Fort Worth, Texas ($250 prize), who failed to properly spell ''eudaemonic'' in the 23rd round. Jolitta Schlehuber placed fourth, but returned to win the next year.(8 June 1957)
2 Amazing Girls Tie For Title
''St. Petersburg Times''(8 June 1957)
Who Said Modern Kids Couldn't Spell?
''Deseret News'' (United Press) The competition lasted from 9 am until 6:55 pm, and was the longest in the competition's history.Williams, Joseph J. (8 June 1957)
Karen Minsinger Places 23rd In Bee; Two Girls Tie for First
''Pittsburgh Press''(20 May 1957)
Here's What Spellers Are To Do in Capital
''St. Petersburg Times'' The competition moved to a two-day format for the first time the following year.Twenty Remain Undefeated in Bee
''Gettysburg Times'' (Associated Press)

References

Scripps National Spelling Bee competitions 1957 in Washington, D.C. 1957 in education June 1957 events in the United States {{lit-award-stub