Dubai: Filipino boy wins Spelling Bee contest, Dh25,000 prize money, US trip

This was Elijah’s first-ever spelling competition, and he learnt 4,000 words

Last updated:
Ashwani Kumar, Chief Reporter
3 MIN READ
Elijah Zachary Dizon Mirandilla, a Grade 8 student at Jumeira Baccalaureate School, triumphed over 580 students from across the country in the Spelling Bee contest.
Elijah Zachary Dizon Mirandilla, a Grade 8 student at Jumeira Baccalaureate School, triumphed over 580 students from across the country in the Spelling Bee contest.
Supplied

Dubai: A 14-year-old Filipino boy from Dubai has won the inaugural Spelling Bee Championship UAE.

Elijah Zachary Dizon Mirandilla, a Grade 8 student at Jumeira Baccalaureate School, triumphed over 580 students from across the country, earning a cash prize of Dh25,000 and an invitation to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in the US as an honoured guest and observer in May.

Remarkably, this was Elijah’s first attempt at a spelling competition. His mother, Rozelynne Dizon Mirandilla, said that Elijah’s journey began in late September when his school selected him for the competition.

According to Rozelynne, Elijah’s natural talent was evident from a young age.

“Elijah knew his alphabet before he turned one and started reading at 15 months. He’s truly a gifted boy,” Rozelynne said, noting that Elijah taught himself how to read and write in 15 languages, including Latin, French, Greek, Japanese, Thai, and others, by watching YouTube videos when he was just five years old.

“He could read and write languages but didn’t understand them. He could type the alphabet before he learned how to write and use a pencil,” she said.

Building vocabulary

Elijah’s linguistic abilities have played a key role in his success.

“Knowing Latin, Greek, and French root words was crucial in helping me spell words I had never encountered before,” Elijah said.

During the competition, he had to learn more than 4,000 words from a Spelling Bee list. The competition’s preliminaries began in November with 580 students, narrowing down to 74 after the semifinals. The finals consisted of 11 rounds, during which competitors were asked words outside the list starting from round six.

In the penultimate round, Elijah and another finalist misspelled their allotted words. However, both made it to the next round, where Elijah emerged as the champion after correctly spelling “cucurbit” – a plant of the gourd family, while the other finalist misspelled another word.

“I had to spell around 42 words during the competition, including 25 in the prelims, four in the semis, and 11 in the finals,” said Elijah.

“I had to spell around 42 words during the competition, including 25 in the prelims, four in the semis, and 11 in the finals,” said Elijah.

Preparation strategy

While the school held a training session, Elijah was supported by his mother Rozelynne, a finance director, and his father Ryan Mirandilla, head of internal audit.

“Before my mom started testing me, I went through the entire list and focused on the words I didn’t know. I trained for 30 to 90 minutes a day. My father helped with practice,” Elijah said.

During the intense competition, Elijah managed to stay focused by not thinking about his performance and instead spelling others’ words in his head, while also praying when he wasn’t spelling.

He has two younger siblings Isaac and Elyze. Asked for advice for future Spelling Bee participants, Elijah said: “Your goal shouldn’t be to win, but not to lose,” he said.

Dh25,000 prize

Regarding his prize money, Elijah plans to give Dh5,000 each to his parents and is undecided about the remaining Dh15,000. His mother joked, “He wants a credit card to access trial apps for his phone. His first iPad ran out of memory from downloading educational apps.”

Looking ahead, he aspires to become an architect. At three years old, Elijah told his mother he wanted to go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) because it’s the best architectural school in the world. “At three years old, he couldn’t even pronounce ‘Massachusetts’ very well,” she chuckled.

For those interested in competing, registration for the Spelling Bee UAE 2026 opens in March. More details can be found at spellingbee.ae.

Sign up for the Daily Briefing

Get the latest news and updates straight to your inbox

Up Next