Stephen Briscoe, an eighth-grade student at Hanceville Middle School, is the 2023 winner of the Alabama Spelling Bee.
Briscoe, 14, spelled “schnell” correctly to win the title, during the finals of the competition on Saturday at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. As the state champ, Briscoe will move on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, set for May 28-June 2 at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
Briscoe, the son of Wayne and Alma Briscoe, is the second student from Cullman County to win the state bee since its inception in 1925. He follows Ray Crocker of Cullman County, who aced the state contest in 1988, according to Susan McDougal, executive director of the Alabama Spelling Bee.
As the winner, Briscoe received a Merriam-Webster dictionary and an all-expenses paid trip to Maryland for the nationals with one of his parents, including airfare, a hotel stay and more, McDougal said.
The teen out-spelled 52 other students in grades 4 through 8 to take the state title, excelling during 10 rounds of competition that included spelling and vocabulary. As the spelling bee neared its end, Briscoe faced Dhilan Patel of Covington County and Owen Brown of Madison County in the top three. Brown took second place; Patel came in third. All of the top three received trophies, McDougal said.
The top three contestants in the 2023 Alabama Spelling Bee were, from left, Owen Brown, Stephen Briscoe and Dhilan Patel. At right is Susan McDougal, executive director of the Alabama Spelling Bee. (Courtesy of Alabama Spelling Bee)
Briscoe faced stiff competition in the top three; Patel is the 2021 state champion and Brown is this year’s winner of the Madison County Spelling Bee. Briscoe kept any nerves he might be feeling in check, however.
“Stephen was calm and cool throughout most of the bee, until it got down to the final round,” McDougal said. “He has a good sense of humor and took it all in stride.”
The Alabama Spelling Bee is sponsored by the Alabama Kiwanis Foundation and hosted by UAB.
At the national spelling bee, Briscoe has a chance to win a prize package that includes $50,000, McDougal said. Alabama has produced two national champs to date: Erin Howard of Madison County was named co-champion in 2019 and Julie Junkin of Pickens County won in 1974.