LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — After out‑spelling 55 other county champions, Sebastian County’s Karthik Dalai was crowned the 2026 Arkansas State Spelling Bee champion.
The 11-year-old East Hills Middle School student is the son of Fort Smith residents Venkata Dalai and Phani Kampella.
Dalai, who finished fourth in last year’s competition, beat a field of 56 county champions at the Arkansas 4-H Vines Center in Little Rock, according to a news release.
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Runner-up honors went to Viktoria Caril of Pulaski County, while Daksh Singh of White County and Michael Jones of Baxter County placed third.
Arav Ashish of Benton County and Kaylee Tran of Craighead County tied for fourth, with Carter Metcalf of Marion County, Warren Reynolds of Union County and Joshua Oh of Lonoke County rounding out fifth place…