Date: Saturday 16^th October 2021
Time: 4pm WIT / 2pm WIB / 8am BST / 9am CEST

Students can only register through their tutor, more info can be found below. Do you want to watch the competition? Sign up here to be in the audience - and you will receive your unique link.

Are you ready for the next Spelling Bee Contest on Saturday 16^th October? If you are between 12 and 17 years old, like words and competitions, then you should register now with your tutor, for the second Bahasa Basudara online Spelling Bee Contest. You can become the next Spelling Bee Queen or King!

Twenty students will be competing against each other and the first three will go on the Grand Final in December 2021. Each participating student will receive a certificate and the first five will receive a trophy. There will also be mobile data vouchers for numbers one, two and three.

Hosted by Tirsa Kailola from our Social Media Team and this time with David Maitimu as the pronouncer, it’s guaranteed to be another buzzing afternoon, with music and entertainment.

Bahasa Basudara Spelling Bee with a twist
Like the first Bahasa Basudara Spelling Bee Contest, this one too will be based on the words that have been used in four English-language articles, and that have already been discussed in class. Instead of just memorising (new) words, we thought that this collective approach in class with the tutors, would not only encourage conversation and comprehension of the subjects, but also create a discussion on the use and definition of the (new) words.

All the participants will be held in the waiting room and only once their name has been called, will they be moved to the main room, where they can spell their word in front of the audience.

Rules and Rounds

There will be a total of five rounds. The pronouncer will give the speller the word. The speller in turn needs to repeat the given word first. If the pronouncer feels that the word hasn’t been properly understood, then he will repeat it again, or the student can also ask for the word to be used in a sentence.

There will be a time limit of 25 seconds to spell the word and once they have started, they can’t correct themselves anymore. The participants are not allowed to write the word down. Students who misspell their words will be eliminated from the competition. If all students misspell their words in a round, no one will be eliminated, and the round will start over again.

First round – the speller will be given four easy 4-letter words.
Second round – the speller will be given four easy 5-letter words
Third round – the speller will be given four difficult 5-letter words.
Fourth round – the speller will be given a mix of four 5 and 6-letter words.
Fifth and final round – if there are still spellers left after the fourth round, there will be a fifth and final round where the contestants will be given a random selection of difficult 6-letter words. It will be a mixture of words from either the articles or words they won’t have practised before. This means that we’ll be tapping into their own vocabulary of words.

The winner will be the student who successfully spells most words.

Judges
The four judges will make the decision whether the words are spelt correctly. As this will be done via Zoom, students need to make sure that they face the camera properly so the judges can see their lip movements and make sure they understand what word they are spelling. The head judge will have the final say.

When & how to register

The Bahasa Basudara Spelling Bee Contest is going to be held via Zoom on Saturday 16^th October 2021 at 4pm WIT / 2pmWIB / 8am BST / 9am CEST.

Students who want to participate must register with their tutor. Each tutor can put forward one student and one reserve, by sending their students’ details to:  [email protected]. Those who are interested have to be quick as we can only have twenty competitors. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis and priority will be given to Bahasa Basudara students. So, talk to your tutor as soon as possible.

If you’re not a participant, but want to be in the audience to support your classmate, student, family member or friend, you can register here to be in the audience.

Please note that those who have registered will receive their unique joining details. For logistical reasons, the online waiting room will close at 4pm WIT / 2pm WIB / 8am BST / 9am CEST sharp, so don’t be late.