LYNN — For the fourth year in a row, Adarsh Venkannagari has won The Item Scripps National Spelling Bee Eastern Massachusetts Regional Finals.

The event was held at Lynn City Hall on Tuesday night and marked the 40th year the Item has hosted the event. It was also the very first time that The Real Project, a literacy-focused non-profit organization has sponsored the event.

Venkannagari, a seventh grader at Raymond J. Grey Junior High School, won with the word “hordeolum,” which means stye. To prepare for the event, Venkannagari told The Daily Item that he had to “obviously study a lot of words,” and practiced thanks to the help of his parents.

“Basically, my parents made some lists for me based on roots and language patterns so that I could prepare,” he said. “So, even if it goes out of the list, I can still get them right.”

The final spellers, which included himself and Shravya Singhal, a seventh grader at Jonas Clarke Middle School, battled it out for a total of 14 rounds. Abhinav Nambudiri, a fourth grader from Wellan Montessori School, finished in third.

By the time Venkannagari got to the final word, all of his practice ultimately paid off when he knew immediately how to spell it as soon as he heard the word. “I had it and [I was] like, there’s no way I’m gonna lose,” he said.

The atmosphere in Lynn City Hall perfectly encapsulated the power of literacy and education, as well as the importance of it being a shared experience for young students in Lynn, which directly aligns with The Real Program’s mission to empower children and families.

“[It was] just exciting to be with these really bright, dedicated kids and to see how they process the information. This is their sport,” said The REAL Program Executive Director Jan Plourde, who later added: “When it came up that there was an opportunity to try to get involved, I said, ‘I think we should do this.’”

“For us to be able to put Lynn in front of all these other communities, I think this is very important for Lynn,” Plourde said.

Venkannagari will now head to Washington, D.C., to compete in the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will take place on May 26-28. “It really feels amazing to go back to the national stage again and represent Massachusetts for the fourth time in a row,” he said.

Joel Abramson welcomes competitors and their families to the Daily Item/SCRIPPS Regional Spelling Bee co-sponsored by The REAL Program at Lynn City Hall on Tuesday.

Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson applauds the work of all competitors taking part in the Daily Item/SCRIPPS Regional Spelling Bee co-sponsored by The REAL Program at Lynn City Hall on Tuesday.

The REAL Program Executive Director Jan Plourde speaks at the start of the Daily Item/SCRIPPS Regional Spelling Bee co-sponsored by The REAL Program at Lynn City Hall on Tuesday.

Lynn Poet Laureate Michelle Richardson, performing the role of pronouncer, commends the hard work and dedication of all the students competing in the Daily Item/SCRIPPS Regional Spelling Bee co-sponsored by The REAL Program.

Islamic Academy for Peace seventh grader Sare Aktas is given the first word in the Daily Item/SCRIPPS Regional Spelling Bee co-sponsored by The REAL Program.

Lynnfield Middle School eighth grader Landrey McKelvey smiles after spelling her word correctly during the Daily Item/SCRIPPS Regional Spelling Bee co-sponsored by The REAL Program.

Covenant Christian Academy of Peabody sixth grader Timmy Paik uses the back of his number card to help him spell his word during the Daily Item/SCRIPPS Regional Spelling Bee co-sponsored by The REAL Program.

Tower School of Marblehead seventh grader Lydia Peabody correctly spells her word in the first round of the Daily Item/SCRIPPS Regional Spelling Bee co-sponsored by The REAL Program.

St. John’s Prep eigth grader Michael Sharp asks for more information on his word as he competes in the Daily Item/SCRIPPS Regional Spelling Bee co-sponsored by The REAL Program.

Past Daily Item/SCRIPPS Regional Spelling Bee winner Adarsh Venkannagari asks for more information for his word as he competes in the 2026 Bee.