Ending the competition was Parikh's correct spelling of bromocriptine. She took home the trophy, a cash prize of $52,500, a commemorative medal, and a host of spelling-related prizes, including a reference library from Merriam Webster, and a replica set of the 1768 Encyclopedia Brittanica. Technically non-spelling-related prizes included a total of $1,000 in flight credits from Delta Air Lines and a family-oriented trip to Kennedy Space Center, including two days of admission for up to four people, two nights in a hotel, and a meet & greet with astronauts.

Runner-up was Ishaan Gupta of Jersey City, N.J., who correctly spelled 25 (of 35) words during the 90-second spell-off, compared to Parikh's winning total of 32 (of 35). That was a new record, breaking the previous high total of 29 (of 30) spelled correctly by Bruhat Soma in 2024.

The spell-off, introduced only in 2021, saw each of the two contestants hearing the same set of words read in the same order, but one after the other. The two were sequestered so could not hear or see how the other was doing.

It was Parikh's third Spelling Bee. He tied for third in 2024 and for 89th place in 2022.

The other finalists were Logan Bailey of Houston; Sarv Dharavane of Tucker Ga.; Avishka Dudala of Dallas; Kushi Gottmukkala of Charlotte, N.C.; Oliver Halkett of Los Angeles; Aiden Meng of Danville, Calif.; and Zwe Spacetime of Washington, D.C.

The 2026 competition took place at the DAR Constitutional Hall in Washington, D.C. It was the first time in 15 years that the finals took place in the nation's capital.

The finals were the culmination of the three-day tournament, which began with 247 competitors from all over the U.S. and also from the Bahamas, Canada, Ghana, Guam, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since 2021, a multiple choice vocabulary round has featured alongside the two spelling rounds.