In association with the Indian conglomerate ITC, Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM has launched the sixth season of ‘Classmate Spell Bee 2014’.

The theme for this year is ‘Every child is unique and so is every word’.

Open to students from standards five to nine, the competition has travelled to more than 750 schools in 27 cities, reaching out to more than 250,000 children.

The top 10 students from each city will appear for an online test to choose the best 16 spellers from across India.

They will also get to showcase their skills on national television and battle it out in the grand finale to win the title of Spell Bee Champion.

The winner takes home a grand prize of $ 3,230 (Rs 200,000) and an all-expenses paid trip to participate in Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, USA.

Hitesh Sharma, COO, Entertainment Network (India) Limited, which runs Mirchi FM said: “Spell Bee has evolved over the past five seasons to become one of the most robust school level properties. We are hoping to see a scholarly cut-throat race between these young students.”

Students from around India can still participate online at www.classmatespellbee.in