Denver Post Community

06/02/2026

We are so proud of our Denver Post Colorado State Spelling Bee champion, Nikhil Ganta!

You represented Colorado with poise, talent, and determination at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., and we have a feeling this won’t be your last time on the national stage.

Congratulations, Nikhil! We hope to see you back in March as you pursue another state title.

Want to see how Nikhil finished at the Scripps National Spelling Bee? Here's a great story by Denver Post reporter Elizabeth Hernandez on his impressive run.

Nikhil Ganta advanced to the nearly century-old national contest after winning the 86th annual Denver Post Colorado State Spelling Bee in March.

05/27/2026

Time for a Scripps National Spelling Bee update: Nikhil Ganta has made it to the Semifinals with 53 other outstanding spellers! These rounds start shortly, at 12:30 p.m. (MDT), and will be live streamed on spellingbee.com. They will be aired tonight at 6 p.m. (MDT) on ION Television. Good luck Nikhil!! We are rooting for you from Colorado! 🍀🍀🍀

05/27/2026

Congratulations to Nikhil Ganta for advancing to the Scripps National Spelling Bee quarterfinals, which will be held Wednesday morning! He joins 94 other spellers who scored higher than 13 on the Round 3 test. Keep up the great work - Colorado is cheering for you! 🍀🐝

We also want to congratulate Derek Li on a strong showing at the national competition. His journey ended in a tie for 96th place following his elimination in Round 3.

Good luck to Nikhil as the competition continues! To watch live, see the attached photo for viewing information or visit spellingbee.com.

05/26/2026

It’s time for the Scripps National Spelling Bee! 🐝

Please join us in wishing our Denver Post Colorado State Spelling Bee Champion, Nikhil Ganta - a 6th grader from Kinard Core Middle School in Fort Collins - the very best of luck this week!

We’d also like to wish Derek Li - a 7th grader from Summit Middle Charter School representing the Boulder Valley School District - good luck as well!

Have a great time, and we’ll be cheering you both on as you represent Colorado on the national stage!🐝

Photo courtesy of The Denver Post

05/25/2026

03/30/2026

We are proud to announce the 51 metro Denver nonprofit agencies that received a grant through The Denver Post Season To Share this year!

Thanks to the generosity of thousands of donors, a matching grant from The Denver Children's Foundation, and the partnership with Richmond American Foundation, a total of $1,319,000 was awarded to support life-changing programs focused on Children & Youth, Health & Wellness, Homelessness, and Hunger.

Congratulations to all of the incredible organizations making a difference every day. We are deeply grateful to everyone who helped make this possible.

03/08/2026

Please join us in congratulating the 2026 Denver Post Colorado State Spelling Bee Champion, Nikhil Ganta!

Nikhil, a 6th grader from Kinard Core Knowledge Middle School in Fort Collins, claimed the title after an incredible 56 rounds by correctly spelling AMAXOPHOBIA. After finishing 2nd place last year, his hard work paid off with this year’s championship!

We’re excited to cheer him on in May when he travels to Washington, D.C. to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Congratulations as well to our outstanding finalists: Vedanth Raju, last year’s champion and an 8th grader from Aurora Quest K–8 in Aurora, who earned 2nd place and Jude DSilva, a 6th grader from Campus Middle School in Greenwood Village, who took 3rd place, improving from 10th in 2025.

The dedication, focus, and perseverance of all our finalists were on full display at Sturm Hall at the University of Denver on Saturday. We’re proud of every student who competed in this year’s bee!

03/07/2026

The Denver Post Colorado State Spelling Bee is underway, bringing together the state’s top spellers to compete for the championship title and an all-expense paid trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee 🐝🏆We wish everyone the best of luck!