1998

The 71st Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee took place on May 28th, 1998. It was held at the Grand Hyatt Washington, and 250 spellers participated.

Jody-Anne Maxwell, from Jamaica, was the first winner from outside of the United States and its territories.

Learn more

About the 71st Bee

Champion

Jody-Anne Maxwell

Kingston, Jamaica

Jody-Anne Maxwell, age 12, sponsored by Phillips & Phillips Stationery Suppliers, won the $10,000 prize by correctly spelling the word “chiaroscurist.”

Jody-Anne attended law school at the University of West Indies and the Chicago-Kent College of Law. She later became the director of national contracts at Addus HomeCare.

Location

Grand Hyatt Washington

at the Independence Ballroom

Winning Word

chiaroscurist(n)

kyah-ruh-SKYUR-ist

an artist who uses the arrangement or treatment of the light and dark parts in a pictorial work of art

This word came from Italian, which formed it from a Latin word

OFFICIALS

Directors

Paige P. Kimble

Judges

  • Mary Brooks
  • Dr. Sandra C. Harrell
  • Dr. Ed Low
  • Linda Picard Wood
  • Blake Giddens

Pronouncers

  • Dr. Alex J. Cameron
  • Dr. Jacques Bailly

SPELLER ROSTER

  • Heather K. Adams
  • Heather Grace Akerberg
  • Daniel Strakis Albrecht
  • Jennifer Alexander
  • George R. Alexander II
  • Michael Alfera
  • Stefanie Altman
  • Drew Alvarez
  • Kristen E. Ambersley
  • Megan Angelo
  • Angela Arenivar
  • Daphna Atias
  • Jerome Azbell
  • Darren Roger Baker
  • Ray Jason Bandigas
  • Melissa Marie Barbee
  • Jessica Barr
  • Christian Barrett
  • Tasha Bartch
  • Christie Baugher
  • Emi E. Bays
  • Anneke Beach-Garcia
  • Megan Becker
  • Mike Belkas
  • Tony Bendinelli
  • Eliza Blair
  • Mark Blehm
  • David Steven Blunk II
  • Keena D. Bodin
  • Elyssa Bolt
  • David Bowles II
  • Fawn Brady
  • Josef Valrico T. Braga
  • Matthew Branham
  • Samuel R. Bright
  • Ashley D. Brinkley
  • Adam Brown
  • Brian Buckley
  • Jonas Budris
  • John Arthur Burkardt
  • Katie Burke
  • Christopher Burschek
  • Christa Carpenter
  • Tiffany J. Carroll
  • Abigail Carter
  • Alex Carter
  • Alexandra Sarai Castillo
  • Cindy Chen
  • Henry Cho, Jr.
  • Valerie C. Christian
  • Shane M. Clauser
  • Sheila Anne Cody
  • Matthew Coke
  • Phillip Edward Charles Compeau III
  • Khelsea Amosia-joelle Conley
  • Diana Conn
  • Jessica Corbin
  • Karen Corey
  • Edgardo Macias Cortes
  • Andrea Coulter
  • Lacy Cox
  • Jeffery Dean
  • April Ann DeGideo
  • Kristen DeGraw
  • Sarah E. Denny
  • Bianca Diaz
  • Regina M. Dionisio
  • Hana E. Dowler
  • Eamon Joseph Doyle
  • Emily Jo Duda
  • Brian Dunkel
  • Phillip Durkos
  • Michael Dziomba
  • Nick Eberling
  • Nathan H. Edgerton
  • Jennifer Edwards
  • Dominique Elden
  • Tera Ellefson
  • Anthony Ross Fabbricatore
  • Linda M. Farmer
  • Brandon Calvo Fejeran
  • Brad Feldman
  • Jordan Flores
  • Antoinette Gardner
  • Nathan Gates
  • Gen Gillespie
  • Edmund Gillett III
  • Michelle Go
  • Tyler A. Gold
  • Amy Goldstein
  • Marcia Gonzalez
  • David Gordon-Kamm
  • Dorcie Gray
  • Daniel Green
  • Pierce Griffin
  • Mallory Hafer
  • Jen Hansen
  • Justin T. Harris
  • Shauna Hartline
  • Katie Henry
  • Dominique Higgins
  • Timothy P. Higgins
  • Megan Hines
  • Victoria Hoffmann
  • Josh Horn
  • Nicole Horn
  • Sean Hou
  • Sol-Annee Howard
  • Jarrod Howard
  • Megan E. Ingersoll
  • Ghazala Irshad
  • Branden K. Jacobs-Jenkins
  • Krishna Jagannathan
  • Susan Janiszewski
  • Natalie Jay
  • Ted Jeon
  • Philip Johnson
  • Zack Jordan
  • Mithun Kamath
  • Kurt Kauk
  • Brandon Kelly
  • Shannon Kerr
  • John B. Kizer
  • Aviva Klein
  • Laura Knuffman
  • Nathaniel Kopp
  • Andrew M. Kosinuk
  • Austin Warren Kotting
  • Amir Kasouha Kousan
  • Cassie Krahe
  • Kavita P. Krishnasamy
  • Derek Kwan
  • Mariel Kyger
  • Nupur Lala
  • April Ann LaLande
  • Katie Elizabeth Lambert
  • Christine Langkilde
  • Benjamin Leedom
  • David Lewandowski
  • Allyson Lieberman
  • Haydee Marie Lindo
  • Karina Lopez
  • Amanda Mack
  • Justine K. Maeda
  • Ian Christopher Mallory
  • Derek Manon
  • John Paul Marroquin
  • Claire Matthews
  • Jody-Anne Maxwell
  • Megan E. McFall
  • Jennifer McFann
  • Marcus McLaughlin
  • Bettina McLean
  • Jeff Metcalfe
  • Robert Miller
  • Alison Miller
  • Esteban Molina-Estolano
  • C. Montminy
  • Christy Morlock
  • Clayton Morris
  • Sirish Nakka
  • Nicholas Nguyen
  • Katie Noah
  • Jacob Norton
  • Charlotte E. Nugent
  • Joy Amanda Nyenhuis
  • Brendan J. O’Connor
  • Arthur J. O’Dwyer
  • Courtney L. Olson
  • Danny Osterland
  • Matthew Ostrom
  • Haley Owen
  • Dorothy Rose Owens
  • Cody Pagels
  • Sheena Pakanati
  • Vincent J. Papia
  • Lauren Penwell
  • Sean Petranovich
  • Michael Porter
  • Lauren Potthoff
  • Daniel Pugh
  • Karthik Ramanathan
  • Joseph Carley Randle
  • Clara Anne Raubertas
  • Adam Ehrhardt Rauch
  • Shamantha P. Reddy
  • Kathryn Reed
  • Alexandra E. Ressler
  • Stephen Richardson
  • Christine Rizkallah
  • Jeff Rodgers
  • Kristina Rodriguez
  • Ellen Rongo
  • Saige Whitney Rutledge
  • Hirsh Sandesara
  • Edda J. Santiago
  • Kristin Sargeant
  • Lora Schmitt
  • Ron Shaffer
  • Shiva Sharma
  • Versha Sharma
  • Christine S. Shrier
  • Emily Stagg
  • John Stoecker
  • Erin Strange
  • Trevor Kenyon Stratton
  • Keri Strawn
  • Nathaniel P. Stroud
  • Robin Elisabeth Swain
  • Frances Taschuk
  • Jonathan Tavaris
  • Jessica Tavenner
  • George Abraham Thampy
  • Erin Thead
  • Clayton Thomas
  • Marissa Toma
  • Sonya S. Tonge
  • Synthia Lux Tonn
  • Veronica Trejo
  • Prem Murthy Trivedi
  • Altoveda Tso
  • Andrew R. Twibell
  • Rachel Tyree
  • Afra Ullah
  • Miranda Swan Veenhuysen
  • Meg Vetula
  • Matthew H. Vorsanger
  • Heidi Wahl
  • Paul S. Walcher
  • Jeff Walden
  • Justin M. Ward
  • Justin M. Warner
  • Morgan Webb-Yeates
  • Clarissa Wegner
  • John Weinstein
  • Amanda Wells
  • Brittany Nicole Wells
  • Bryan Wilczak
  • Mande Wilkes
  • Lacelliese “Lacey” Witowski
  • Jonathan L. Witte
  • Clara Yoon
  • Kelly Anne Youck
  • Jeremy C. Young
  • Matthew Ian B. Zafra
  • Maggie Zagroba
  • Cara Zarnstorff
  • Yan Zhong
  • Jennifer R. Zimbal

* Winner
** Runner-Up