The Franklin Global SpellEvent is a global spelling competition for non-native English speaking students under the age of 15. It is sponsored and organized by Franklin Electronic Publishers in cooperation TESOL International Association (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) - a global professional association for English language teaching.

We at Franklin understand that English is the new lingua franca that binds us together in an ever shrinking world, and so we conceived of this event in 2009, and continue to be its primary driver and sponsor. Because spelling is more than just memorization; it is about understanding the language, and its derivation.

To assure consistency, Merriam Webster’s Advanced Learner’s Dictionary is proudly used as the source of all word lists during the Franklin Global SpellEvent Finals as well as the in-country preliminary events around the world.

Local events are held in participating non-English speaking countries each year. Participating schools run qualifying contests for their students to select candidates for participation in the in-country final event. The best students from each participating school then participate in their in-country final SpellEvent. Prizes from TESOL, Merriam Webster and Franklin are awarded to the winning students. These prizes are intended to reward and foster a love of language learning.

The in-country final events consist of a single elimination spelling competition until one student remains. This finalist in each country is then awarded a trip to the United States to participate in a Global Final SpellEvent with all of the other winners from around the world.

In past years, the Final Global SpellEvent has been held at the Essex House and the Times Square Marriott Marquis Hotels in New York City. Participants and their family members enjoyed the magic of New York City and the excitement of participating in the most prestigious Global SpellEvent Final contest.

Already in 2012, participating countries are running preliminary events in the ongoing selection process to find our in-country champions. We eagerly await their arrival in the United States this August when the new world SpellEvent champion is selected.