MUMBAI: Radio Mirchi today announced the launch of the fifth season of ‘HDFC Life Spell Bee - India Spells 2013’, the Indian counterpart of  Scripps Spelling Bee, USA.

With the theme, ‘Celebrate Words. Save the Language,’ the spelling extravaganza, will travel to 35 cities and will reach out to students from standard 5 to 9.  Students from anywhere in the country can also apply online.  

In the initial phase, an on-ground exercise will be conducted across 1000 schools where children will be given spelling tests. Later they progress to the gruelling city finale round. The top two students from each city will then appear for an online test which will choose the best 16 spellers across India. These students will then battle it out in the grand finale to be held at Mumbai to win the title of Spell Bee Champion.

Entertainment Network (India) Limited executive director and CEO Prashant Panday said, “We started off Spell Bee with an aim to sensitize young children to the basics of the language. The hunt to find spelling enthusiasts, since then, has continued. Already in our 5th season, we are expecting tremendous success and phenomenal participation. This year Spell Bee will raise the bar of competitiveness as we seek registrations from across 35 cities. It gets tougher as participants from previous seasons re-enrol to make this championship fiercer. Like every year, the competition will be televised to encourage and prepare students for the upcoming season. We are hoping to see a scholarly cutthroat race between these young students.”

The National Champion of HDFC Life Spell Bee – India Spells 2013 will win a grand prize of Rs. 2,00,000 apart from the opportunity to witness the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee with a parent and the school principal/teacher in Washington DC, USA. in an all expenses paid trip. The four semi finalists will win a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 each.

Mirchi has partnered HDFC for Life Spell Bee and it will be backed by Times NIE for promotions and participation.

HDFC Life executive VP and head, marketing, product and direct channels Sanjay Tripathy said, "The era of abbreviated text messaging is having a detrimental impact on the English language, with an increased surge in their acceptance as a convenient replacement for the original word. HDFC Life Spell Bee - India Spells, an annual spelling completion, is making an effort over the last four years to improve the spelling skills of students in a unique and stimulating format. To maximize the reach, we are continuing with the digital leg, giving an opportunity to students across the country to register and participate online. This year, we are acknowledging the effort of the teachers, who are behind the growth and the development of each student. The school principal of the winner of the grand finale will also get to experience the Scripps National Spelling Bee at Washington DC."