CINCINNATI, May 19, 2015
/PRNewswire/ -- The nation's largest and longest-running
educational program is joining with two highly regarded and
internationally known consumer brands to sponsor the 2015 Scripps
National Spelling Bee finals live on ESPN.
Microsoft Corp., the worldwide leader in software, services,
devices and solutions, and Words With Friends, a mobile app and
social game created by Zynga Inc. (Nasdaq: ZNGA), are the official
broadcast sponsors of this year's competition.
"We are fortunate to have two sponsors who share a similar
mission with the Scripps National Spelling Bee," said Paige Kimble, executive director of the Scripps
National Spelling Bee. "We all are deeply committed to supporting
educational programs. We welcome back Microsoft for its second
sponsorship year. Microsoft has had a profound impact on millions
of students around the world. Words with Friends engages millions
of Wordies to test their vocabulary skills and to challenge other
players in the social word game. Through this relationship, we hope
to expose more audiences to the exploration of words, spelling and
vocabulary."
Microsoft has partnered with over 12 million educators to impact
more than 207 million students in 240 countries. Microsoft is
committed to empowering students with innovative technology to help
them develop the 21st century skills needed to excel now and in the
future.
"Spelling and grammar are foundational skills that pave the way
for effective communication in school and career," said
Margo Day, vice president of U.S.
Education, Microsoft. "Microsoft Surface is proud to once again
sponsor the Scripps National Spelling Bee to inspire students
around the nation to improve their spelling and build the
communication skills they'll need in order to succeed in the
future."
Launched in 2009, and named by Apple as the App Store's No. 1
free game of all time, Words With Friends continues to be the
world's most popular mobile word game with an estimated 55 million
matches being played around the world at any given moment. Words
With Friends encourages vocabulary expansion and word discovery
through challenging players to create the highest-scoring words
while playing against friends, family or random opponents. Millions
of spellers, both competitive and not, have used Words With Friends
as an exciting and motivating way to build their vocabulary while
connecting with others through social word-play.
"We're proud to team up with The E.W. Scripps Company in
recognizing the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee contestants and
joining in this global celebration of words," said Jonathan Knight, vice president of games at
Zynga. "Since launching nearly six years ago, Words With Friends
has connected millions of people around the world through
competitive and fun social word-play, empowering them to increase
their vocabulary and discover new words. Through our partnership
with the Scripps National Spelling Bee, we are thrilled to support
the next generation of passionate spellers and word enthusiasts. We
wish them the best of L-U-C-K during the competition."
As part of its sponsorship, Words With Friends will award the
Champion of the 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee with a cash
prize of $5,000.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee started in 1925 with nine
contestants. Today, it is estimated that more than 11 million
students participate each year. This is the 88th annual National
Spelling Bee.
At Bee Week, international attention will shine on young
spellers vying for the coveted title of champion. The Scripps
National Spelling Bee will take place May
26-28 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center
in the Washington, D.C., area.
ESPN will broadcast live the Championship Finals on Thursday, May 28, from 8
p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT.
About the Scripps National Spelling Bee:
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is the nation's largest and
longest-running educational program. The purpose of the Scripps
National Spelling Bee is to help students improve spelling,
increase their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct
English usage that will help them all of their lives. Visit
spellingbee.com for more information about the Scripps National
Spelling Bee, which is administered on a not-for-profit basis by
The E.W. Scripps Company.
About Scripps
The E.W. Scripps Company serves audiences and businesses through
a growing portfolio of television, radio and digital media brands.
Scripps is one of the nation's largest independent TV station
owners, with 33 television stations in 24 markets and a reach of
nearly one in five U.S. households. It also owns 34 radio stations
in eight markets. When Scripps and the former Journal
Communications merged their broadcast assets in early 2015, they
also spun off their respective newspapers, creating a new public
company, Journal Media Group. Scripps also runs an expanding
collection of local and national digital journalism and information
businesses, including mobile video news service Newsy and weather
app developer WeatherSphere. Scripps also produces television shows
including The List and The Now, runs an award-winning investigative
reporting newsroom in Washington,
D.C., and serves as the long-time steward of the nation's
largest, most successful and longest-running educational program,
the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Founded in 1878, Scripps has
held for decades to the motto, "Give light and the people will find
their own way."
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SOURCE The E.W. Scripps Company