This year’s bee — an event that has skyrocketed in popularity, thanks

This year’s bee — an event that has skyrocketed in popularity, thanks to exposure on television and in movies — started on Tuesday in Washington with a record 293 spellers.

The competition went 15 rounds. Spellers ranged from 9 to 15 years old. According to the contest’s Web site, 117 of the spellers speak languages other than English, and English was not the first language of 33 of the spellers.

The first National Spelling Bee was in 1925 and featured nine contestants.

Watch her spell Laodicean

She names Nupur Lala, the 1999 Scripps National Spelling Bee champion, as her role model and the inspiration for her spelling career.

Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, was in the audience to watch the finals, which were nationally televised on ABC.

Her hobbies including swimming, cycling and traditional Indian dance, according to the contest’s Web site.

The spelling bee’s winnings, including $30,000 in cash and a $5,000 scholarship, which helps if she pursues her career goal of becoming a neurosurgeon.

We smart!

Photo by Robert Giroux