Sponsorship for the Adult Spelling Bee can be made at four levels:

Queen Bee (Presenting Sponsor) - $5,000 (limited to two non-competing businesses)

Bumble Bee Sponsor - $2,500

Honey Bee Sponsor - $1,000

Mason Bee Sponsor - $500

For more information on each sponsorship level, click here.

Ready to commit to sponsorship?  

Click Here!

Each team will consist of four (4) members, including one team captain who will be the primary contact for event organizers.

All team members will be adults (18+).

The entry fee for each team will be $250 and includes participation in the Adult Spelling Bee, heavy hors d'oeuvres, and a drink ticket. 

We encourage creativity with team names and costumes!

A prize will be given to the audience's choice of best-dressed team.

An additional prize will be given to the team with the largest fan base!

Register Your Team Today!

Your $50 spectator ticket will include the following:

• Heavy hors d’oeuvres by Everyday Gourmet
• 1 drink ticket (beer, wine, or non-alcoholic cocktail)
  • Cash bar available for additional beverages.
• 1 point for the team of your choice
  • The team with the largest fan base will win a prize!
• 1 vote for best-dressed team
• An entertaining showdown of Henderson County’s best adult spellers!

All proceeds will benefit Smart Start Partnership for Children.

 **Special pricing for children: Tickets for children ages 16 and younger are just $30! 

Purchase Tickets Here

RULES

• All words will be pronounced and defined according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
• For each word, the emcee will pronounce a word, give the definition, use the word in a sentence, and pronounce the word again prior to spellers’ responses. The clock starts as soon as the emcee finishes the sequence.
• Teams may not use phones, computers, or any sort of reference materials during the Spelling Bee.
• There will be three judges. The decisions of the judges are final.  There will be no appeals.

COMPETITION FORMAT

Standard Rounds

Each team will have 30 seconds to spell each word by writing it on a whiteboard distributed to the team.

All teams must immediately stop writing when the timer sounds, and the emcee directs the teams to show the spelled word.

• Any team that does not hold up its board when the timer sounds will be considered as misspelling the word.
• Any team continuing to write after time is called or attempting to change the word as written on the board will be counted as misspelling a word.
• If the word is illegible or if the letters are ambiguous, the word will be treated as misspelled.

If a word is misspelled, the team is eliminated from the competition unless the team (or a supporter) purchases a buyback (costing $50, $75, or $100) before the beginning of the next word. There is a maximum of three buybacks per team during the competition.

Eliminated teams are encouraged to continue to engage in the competition by showing their verbal support for another team (without helping them spell!) or writing messages on whiteboards to share with spectators.

Championship Round

When two teams remain, the competition will transition to the Championship Round.  This round will be conducted in an individual oral spelling format with a 30-second time limit per word.

The final 8 participants will line up at the microphone – alternating by team – and will be challenged with one word at a time. The participant will pronounce the word, spell it, and repeat it to signify they have completed their spelling.

When a participant spells a word correctly within the 30-second timeframe, they will move to the end of the line.  When a participant misspells a word (or fails to complete the spelling of a word in 30 seconds), they are eliminated from the competition.

If all four participants from one team are eliminated while more than one participant from the other team still stands, the team with spellers remaining will be declared the winner.

If the competition ends in a 1:1 spell-off between one remaining speller from each team, there will be no more than 5 rounds. If a finalist misspells a word, the other finalist has a chance to spell the same word, and if they spell it correctly, that team wins!

If, after 5 rounds, there is no clear winner, the competition will be declared a tie, and the two winning teams will share the title and prize of Smart Start Adult Spelling Bee Champion.

Bee-cause of You: A HUGE Thank You to Our Amazing 2026 Adult Spelling Bee Sponsors!!

 Honey Bee Sponsors

SMART START'S SECOND ANNUAL ADULT SPELLING BEE - A SUCCESS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD!

The 2nd Annual Adult Spelling Bee Fundraiser held in February 2025 was a huge success, raising an astounding $17,285 for Smart Start Partnership for Children! It was a great night supporting early childhood!

Teams of four competed for the bee-utiful golden trophy and great prizes. Some of the teams buzzed with enthusiasm in their colorful costumes.

A HUGE thank you to our sponsors that helped to make the night a success: First Bank, Knox Law, Carolina Village, Champion Comfort Experts, Geometra, Stipe Creative, Morrow Insurance Agency, Arden Family Dental, Julia Buchanan, Beau & Susanna Waddell, Mail Box & Pack.

Enthusiastic spellers, spectators & sponsors filled the Continuum event space in Hendersonville with laughter and some good-natured groans. Drinks and delicious hors d'oeuvres (whoa! Try spelling that one!) were available and helped to keep the laughs coming.

Our winning team - Spells Like Team Spirit – fought a hard battle, spelling their way through some multi-syllabic tongue twisters! They won the special trophy and cash prizes for the second year in a row!