Entering its 17th year, the Pamplin Media Group's Regional Spelling Bee began in 2002 to give Portland-area students an opportunity to compete on a national level.

Each year, the Pamplin Media Group Regional Spelling Bee invites fourth through eighth grade students attending Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill and Clackamas county public, private, alternative and home school groups to compete in the regional spelling bee. Students advance to the regional bee after winning their individual school bees.

The winner of the Pamplin Media Group Regional Spelling Bee will advance with more than 250 students from around the country and the world compete at the national bee.

To compete in the national bee, most students are sponsored by local newspapers. Along with competing in the bee, the winning student will have the opportunity to tour Washington, D.C., and participate in organized social events with other spellers.

The Scripps National Spelling Bee was started by the Louisville-Courier-Journal in 1925 with nine sponsoring newspapers and nine contestants. It was first made famous by the movies "Spellbound" and "Akeelah and the Bee". Now ESPN airs it live and Network TV airs the final rounds live, which has greatly increased community awareness of the event.

For more information about the Pamplin Media Group's Regional Spelling Bee please go to regionalspellingbee.com.

About the Pamplin Media Group

The Pamplin Media Group includes 25 local newspapers and websites reaching 1.1 millions readers every week in Oregon. The company is family owned by local businessman and philanthropist Dr. Robert B. Pamplin Jr.

Dr. Pamplin believes that the Regional Spelling Bee fits the company mission of helping to increase literacy and supporting educational programs.