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National School SCRABBLE Championship

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The National School Scrabble Championship is the annual highlight of the School Scrabble Program. In 2015, it was renamed the North American School Scrabble Championship.

The tournament typically draws over 50 teams of two players each, representing schools and certain other youth organizations, as well as high school students who compete as individuals. Competitors must be 18 years or younger, enrolled in school, and resident in the United States or Canada.

2024

2023 NASSC Champions - Championship Division - Nathanael Campos & Rishi Palicha 2023 NASSC Champions - High School Division - Cherish Amby-Okolo

Date March 23–24
Place Planet Word, Washington, DC
Championship Division Winners Nathanael Campos & Rishi Palicha
Championship Division Runners-Up Nathan Lerlop & Milo Anderson
High School Division Winner Cherish Amby-Okolo
High School Division Runner-Up Gideon Brosowsky
Championship Division Winner’s Prize $1,000
Prize Pool $5,000+
Teams 43
Format 8 rounds followed by 1-round final
Organizer Stefan Fatsis, Let's Play Scrabble
Director Ben Greenwood & Kieran O'Connor

2023

2023 NASSC Champions - Championship Division - Nathanael Campos & Walden Giezentanner 2023 NASSC Champions - High School Division - Ruth Li & James Donnelly

Date April 1–2
Place Planet Word, Washington, DC
Championship Division Winners Nathanael Campos & Walden Giezentanner
Championship Division Runners-Up Nathan Lerlop & Milo Anderson
High School Division Winner Ruth Li
High School Division Runner-Up James Donnelly
Championship Division Winner’s Prize $1,000
Prize Pool $5,000+
Teams 48
Format 8 rounds followed by 1-round final
Organizer Stefan Fatsis, Will Anderson, Caroline Henley, & Cornelia Guest
Director Ben Greenwood & Kieran O'Connor

2022

2022 NASSC Champions - Championship Division - Nathanael Campos & Walden Giezentanner 2022 NASSC Champions - High School Division - Zachary Ansell

Date May 14–15
Place Planet Word, Washington, DC
Championship Division Winners Nathanael Campos & Walden Giezentanner
Championship Division Runners-Up Gideon Brosowsky & Milo Anderson
High School Division Winner Zachary Ansell
High School Division Runner-Up James Donnelly
Championship Division Winner’s Prize $1,000
Prize Pool $5,000+
Teams 41
Format 8 rounds followed by 1-round final
Organizer Stefan Fatsis
Director Ben Greenwood & Kieran O'Connor

2020

The 2020 Hasbro Gaming Championships - originally scheduled to take place on April 18–19 in Baltimore - have been postponed because of the COVID-19 Coronavirus emergency.

2019

Date April 27–28
Place Philadelphia, PA
Championship Division Winners Jeffrey Pogue & Noah Slatkoff
Championship Division Runners-Up Thomas Shundi & Archit Kalra
High School Division Winner Jem Burch
High School Division Runner-Up Leo McKenna
Challenge Division Winner Nathanael Campos & Jake Nadol
Championship Division Winner’s Prize $3,000
Prize Pool $10,000+
Teams 133
Format 8 rounds for Championship and Challenge followed by 1-round final

9 rounds for High School followed by 1-round final

Organizer The Fair Play Agency
Director Ben Greenwood

2018

2018 NASSC School Champions - Challenge, High School, and Championship Divisions - with Cornelia Guest

Date April 28–29
Place Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
Championship Division Winners Jeffrey Pogue & Noah Slatkoff
Championship Division Runners-Up Knox Daniel & Logan Strzepek
High School Division Winner Noah Kalus
High School Division Runner-Up Jem Burch
Challenge Division Winner Ian Whitehurst & Kevin Zeng
Challenge Division Runners-Up Lavanya Girish & Kaashika Raut
Championship Division Winner’s Prize $10,000
Prize Pool $23,000
Teams 129
Format 8 rounds for Championship and Challenge followed by 1-round final

9 rounds for High School followed by 1-round final

Organizer The Fair Play Agency
Director Jason Keller & Judy Cole

2017

Date April 22–23
Place Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
Championship Division Winners Zach Ansell & Jem Burch
Championship Division Runners-Up Knox Daniel & Logan Strzepek
High School Division Winner Kevin Bowerman
High School Division Runner-Up Sam Masling
Challenge Division Winner Audrey Benford & Dina Lacugna
Championship Division Winner’s Prize $10,000
Prize Pool $20,500
Teams 92
Format 8 rounds for Championship and Challenge followed by 1-round final

9 rounds for High School followed by 1-round final

Organizer MSI
Director Jason Keller
  • Divisions were added this year:
    • High School - Students in Grades 9 to 12. Compete as individuals.
    • Challenge - Newcomers and novice competitors.

2016

See our unofficial page about the 2016 North American School SCRABBLE Championship.

2016 NASSC School Champions with Cornelia Guest

Date April 9–10
Place Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
Winners Cooper Komatsu & Jem Burch
Runners-Up Matias Shundi & Javier Conteras
Winner’s Prize $10,000
Prize Pool $20,500
Teams 85
Format 7 rounds followed by 1-round final
Organizer MSI
Director John Chew
  • This was the last year in which NASPA, as an organization, helped to run the event.

2015

See our unofficial page about the 2015 North American School SCRABBLE Championship.

Date May 16–17
Place Pawtucket, RI
Winners Noah Kalus & Zach Ansell
Runners-Up Matias Shundi & Javier Conteras
Winner’s Prize $10,000
Prize Pool $20,500
On Jimmy Kimmel Live May 23, 2015
Teams 58
Format 7 rounds followed by 1-round final
Organizer MSI
Director John Chew

2014

See our unofficial page about the 2014 National School SCRABBLE Championship.

Date April 26–27
Place One Hasbro Place, Providence, RI
Winners Thomas Draper (NJ) and Jacob Sass (TX)
Runners-Up Jack and Nicholas Miklaucic
Winner’s Prize $10,000
Prize Pool $20,000
On Jimmy Kimmel Live May 23, 2014
Teams 69
Format 7 rounds followed by 1-round final
Organizer MSI
Director John Chew
  • This was the first NSSC organized by MSI.
  • Thomas Draper appeared in his third finals

2013

photo of 2013 NSSC champions

Date May 3–4
Place Washington Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, DC
Winners Kevin Bowerman and Raymond Gao (NC)
Runners-Up Thomas Draper (NJ) and Sam Masling (DC)
Winner’s Prize $10,000
Prize Pool $20,000
On Jimmy Kimmel Live May 23
Teams 89
Format 7 rounds followed by 1-round final
Organizer NSA
Director John Chew
  • This was the last NSSC organized by the NSA prior to their dissolution.
  • With this event, North Carolina became the first state to have winning

students in three Nationals, in 2009, 2012 and 2013.

  • This was the first event since 2009 in which no previous champions were competing.
  • Thomas Draper became the third person known to have been a runner-up twice.

2012

photo of 2012 NSSC champions

Date April 13–14
Place Royal Pacific Resort, Orlando, FL
Winners Andy Hoang and Erik Salgado (NC)
Runners-Up Thomas Draper and Nicholas Vasquez (NJ)
Winner’s Prize $10,000
Prize Pool $20,000
On Jimmy Kimmel Live April 23
Teams 72
Format 7 rounds followed by 1-round final
Organizer NSA
Director John Chew
  • Andy Hoang and Erik Salgado became the first team to win two NSSC titles.
  • Beginning with this event, rules were normalized to more closely match NASPA rules, including the use of a 25- rather than 22-minute clock, and an explicit reference to NASPA rules for situations not covered in the event rules.
  • This was the first year in which fourth-graders were permitted to compete.

2011

photo of 2011 NSSC champions

Date April 15–16
Place Royal Pacific Resort, Orlando, FL
Winners Alex Li and Jackson Smylie (ON)
Runners-Up Evan McCarthy and Bradley Robbins (NH)
Winner’s Prize $10,000
Prize Pool $20,000
On Jimmy Kimmel Live May 4
Teams 98
Format 7 rounds followed by 1-round final
Organizer NSA
Director John Chew
  • Alex Li and Jackson Smylie were the first Canadians to win the title.
  • The event expanded from 6+1 to 7+1 rounds this year.

2010

photo of 2010 NSSC champions

Date April 15–16
Place Royal Pacific Resort, Orlando, FL
Winners Evan McCarthy and Bradley Robbins (NH)
Runners-Up Timothy Bryant and Kevin Rosenberg (NY)
Winner’s Prize $10,000
Prize Pool $20,000
On Jimmy Kimmel Live April 26
Teams 95
Format 6 rounds followed by 1-round final
Organizer NSA
Director Ben Greenwood
  • McCarthy and Robbins were the first NSSC winners to beat Jimmy Kimmel on his show.

2009

photo of 2009 NSSC champions

Date April 24–25
Place Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, RI
Winners Andy Hoang and Erik Salgado (NC)
Runners-Up Paolo Federico O'Murchu and Nicholas Vasquez (NJ)
Winner’s Prize $10,000
Prize Pool $20,000
On Jimmy Kimmel Live May 5
Teams 102
Format 6 rounds followed by 1-round final
Organizer NSA
Director Ben Greenwood
  • Hoang and Salgado were the first fifth-graders to win the NSSC.

2008

photo of 2008 NSSC champions

Date May 9–10
Place Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, RI
Winners Logan Rosen and Matthew Silver (CT)
Runners-Up Dorian Hill and Joey Krafchick (GA)
Winner’s Prize $5,000
Prize Pool $10,000
Teams 104
Format 6 rounds followed by 1-round final
Organizer NSA
Director Ben Greenwood

2007

photo of 2007 NSSC champions

Date May 4–5
Place Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, RI
Winners Aune Mitchell and Matthew Silver (CT)
Runners-Up Dorian Hill and Joey Krafchick (GA)
Winner’s Prize $5,000
Teams 100
Format 6 rounds followed by 1-round final
Organizer NSA
Director Ben Greenwood

2006

Date April 21–22
Place Boston, MA
Winners Aaron Jacobs and Nathan Mendelsohn (MA)
Runners-Up Quentin Babb and Matt Canik (TX)
Winner’s Prize $5,000
Prize Pool $9,250
Teams 98
Organizer NSA
Director Ben Greenwood

2005

Place Boston, MA
Winners Scott Cardone and Asif Rahman (OH)
Winner’s Prize $5,000
Organizer NSA
Director Ben (Loiterstein) Greenwood

2004

Place Boston, MA
Winners Thomas Bao and Eric Johnston (CA)
Winner’s Prize $5,000
Organizer NSA
Director Ben Greenwood and Joe Edley

2003

Date April 26
Place Boston, MA
Winners Nick Amphlett and John Ezekowitz
Winner’s Prize $5,000
Organizer NSA
Director Ben Greenwood and Joe Edley