The Scripps National Spelling Bee will return this year in a mostly virtual format, with the in-person competition limited to a dozen finalists who will gather on an ESPN campus at Walt Disney World in Florida, Scripps announced Monday. Last year's bee was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, the first time since World War II it had been called off. Instead of compressing the entire competition into a week — spellers routinely refer to Bee Week as a highlight of their young lives — the bee will be stretched over several weeks. Virtual format notwithstanding, the bee will return to its roots as a purely oral spelling competition. In the 2019 bee, the words used in the final rounds became a major issue.

Source: ABC News February 22, 2021 13:08 UTC