2023 KIWANIS KUPUNA SPELLING BEE

ELIGIBILITY & RULES

Thank you for your interest in our upcoming 2023 Kiwanis Kupuna Spelling Bee, the net proceeds from the bees will benefit the Hawai'i Alzheimer’s Association. 

ELIGIBILITY OF KUPUNA SPELLERS:   

1. The kupuna speller must be a resident of the State of Hawai’i and has reached the age of 60 on or before May 1, 2023.

2. The kupuna speller or its representative has completed the online registration and paid the $25 donation/registration fee via www.kupunaspellingbee.com.

3. As part of the terms of participation, Kupuna spellers will grant permission to be photographed, videotaped, and recorded.

4. This year's Kiwanis Kupuna Spelling Bee will have one category for entry and all participants must be 60 years of age or older on or before May 1, 2023. 

GUIDELINES & TIPS FOR PRELIMINARY KUPUNA SPELLING BEE ORGANIZING ENTITY

1. Although there is no fee for an entity to register to serve as a Preliminary Kiwanis Kupuna Spelling Bee Organizing Entity, donations from preliminary organizers to the Kiwanis Kupuna Spelling Bee are welcomed at www.kupunaspellingbee.com.

2. Neither Organizer Kiwanis Division 22 nor the Alzheimer’s Association has authority over the conduct of preliminary spelling bees and will not render judgment relating to their conduct or outcomes.  Individuals with complaints about the preliminary spelling bees should communicate their concerns with the Preliminary Kiwanis Kupuna Spelling Bee Organizing Entity officials.  DECISIONS OF PRELIMINARY SPELLING BEE OFFICIALS ARE FINAL.

3. The Preliminary Kiwanis Kupuna Spelling Bee Organizing Entity will hold its preliminary spelling bee competition in person.  The Preliminary Kiwanis Kupuna Spelling Bee Organizing Entity shall ensure that all participants shall comply with applicable safety, hygiene and physical distancing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as with state, county, industry and regulatory practices for safety, hygiene and physical distancing, including standards and requirements adopted and issued by the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH).

4. Give each kupuna speller a number to make sure they spell in the same order for each round of the competition.

5. The kupuna speller can ask for alternate pronunciations, definitions, and for the preliminary competition official to use the word in a sentence as well as the word’s origin.

6. If the kupuna speller spells the word correctly, he or she moves on to the next round of competition.

7. If a kupuna speller incorrectly spells a word, the speller is disqualified.  If the preliminary have a bell, the head judge rings a bell when an error is made.  Let the kupuna speller know that he or she is excluded from the next round of competition.

8. If every kupuna speller in a round erroneously spells a word, all of the kupuna spellers in the round are invited back to compete.  Everyone from that round gets another chance.

9. If a kupuna speller requests to start over, please remind the speller that he or she cannot revise the letters that they already said or the order they said them in.

10. Spellers shall be judged based on the order of the letters only; they do not need to indicate special characters, spaces, or capitalizations.

11. Upon declaring your preliminary champion in each age category, the Preliminary Kiwanis Kupuna Spelling Bee Organizing Entity shall email the champion names and contact information to kiwaniskupunaspellingbee@gmail.com and shall assist in coordinating the champions’ attendance at the State Kiwanis Kupuna Spelling Bee Finals to be held on Saturday, July 29, 2023.

12. Please feel free to use the printable certificates and feel free to share photos on social media using the hashtag #kiwaniskupunaspellingbee.