Williamsville, N.Y. (WBEN) - Every year, spellers from all over the globe converge on Washington, D.C. in the last week of May for the chance to compete in the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee.

This year, Western New York will be represented by one 13-year-old hoping to spell his way to a championship.

Adhrit Chowdhury from Transit Middle School in the Williamsville Central School District is one of 247 spellers in Washington, D.C. this week competing at the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee. He punched his ticket to the competition after winning the Western New York Regional Championship back in March at SUNY Fredonia.

"I'm really excited for this opportunity, and I feel like it's gonna be a lot of fun too," said Chowdhury in an interview with WBEN before his trek to the nation's capital.

The 2026 spelling bee is set to take place at a new venue this year - DAR Constitution Hall - after being held in National Harbor, Md. at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center for 13 of the last 14 competitions.

Chowdhury has always had an interest with words, and has been in a number of community spelling bees in recent years. Winning the regional championship of the Scripps National Spelling Bee was something he took much pride in.

"At first it was shock, no one's expecting this. But then I just realized that I've got such a great opportunity here this year, so I just got to it," Chowdhury said.

This honor is one that Chowdhury has enjoyed sharing with his classmates.

"They're all really proud of me, and some of them [are excited that] their school is going to such a prestigious event. They've all been really supportive," he said.

In the lead-up to the Scripps National Spelling Bee, Chowdhury has been working hard to keep at it with preparations for the high stakes event.

"A break now-and-then is fine, but every day I feel like you just have to come back to it to, at least, refresh your mind on these things. There's always a lot of stuff that you have to remember, especially for something like this," Chowdhury said.

So what goes into studying and preparing for a competition like the Scripps National Spelling Bee?

"I just look over the info. You have to know how to spell, but there's also words that follow patterns, so there's really no choice but to remember every day," Chowdhury admits. "I just spend maybe an hour or so [every day] just looking over lists and stuff."

While remembering the spellings with the list of words provided may seem like a daunting task, Chowdhury also factors in the others he will be spelling with from around the globe.

"There's also so many people that are gonna be there. I know I've been working hard to do this, but there's just a lot of people I have to go up against," he said.

No matter what happens during the course of the competition, Chowdhury is looking forward to the time in Washington with his family.

"We're planning to go to a lot of like the museums and other attractions in Washington too," he added.

According to his bio on the Spelling Bee's official website, Chowdhury enjoys reading books, especially science fiction and fantasy novels, and also likes writing short stories. He loves tinkering with technology and coding and programming games in his spare time.

Spellers will compete in four segments of competition starting Tuesday to determine who will take home the Scripps Cup in Thursday's televised Finals on Ion.

The winner of the Scripps National Spelling Bee also receives:

• $50,000 cash prize
• Commemorative medal
• $2,500 cash prize and reference library from Merriam-Webster
• $400 of reference works and a three-year membership to Britannica Online Premium
• $1,000 in flight credits from Delta Airlines

• Engraved commemorative plaques from Scripps National Spelling Bee
• $1,000 Scholastic Dollars to be donated in the champion’s honor