National School SCRABBLE Championship

The National School SCRABBLE Championship is an annual tournament organized until 2013 by the National SCRABBLE Association (NSA) as a part of their School SCRABBLE Program.

The tournament typically draws over 50 teams of two players each, representing schools and certain other youth organizations. Competitors must be in grades 4–8 and resident in the United States or Canada.

2014

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

2013

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

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

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

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.