PM Spelling Bee winners revel in meeting with Anthony Albanese
The winners of this year’s PM Spelling Bee erupted in laughter when they met Anthony Albanese after he joked about spelling a certain political word. Find out which word it was
READING LEVEL: GREEN
It took a tricky political word — “psephology*” — to spark a chorus of laughter in the Prime Minister’s office on Tuesday, after Anthony Albanese met with three of the nation’s most talented young spellers.
Nervous jitters and plenty of smiles from both parents and children greeted Mr Albanese as he welcomed Aditya Paul, Elsie Chittleborough and Echo Feng, this year’s Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee champions from NSW, South Australia and the ACT respectively*.
Alongside their proud parents, the trio chatted with Mr Albanese and posed with their glass trophies before sharing the toughest words they faced in competition.
While Elsie said the word “cache*” tripped her up, Echo revealed she thought she had stumbled on “album.”
For 14-year-old Aditya, who won the Red level, the most challenging word was the political word “psephology”, which means the science of voting.
When he explained he had faltered* after missing a letter, Mr Albanese joked: “See, I would’ve gotten it,” as the room erupted into laughter.
Later, the children revelled* in the thrill of the big meeting and getting to tour the corners of Parliament House.
Elsie – who is South Australia’s first national champion – said meeting the Prime Minister was a “really good” experience, while Echo – the ACT’s defending champion – said she felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
Aditya – who has made the finals every year since the Bee started, and was a champion in 2024 as well – said he was starstruck after meeting Mr Albanese again.
“It’s not every day that it happens, obviously, and to be able to meet him once, let alone twice, is honestly just one of the biggest privileges I’ve ever had,” he said.
The winners were accompanied by News Corp Australia community ambassador* Penny Fowler, who was full of praise for the trio.
“Our champions are extraordinary and I have no doubt their talent, resilience* and persistence will continue to grow and positively impact throughout their lives,” Ms Fowler said.
“The Bee has really become a key part of our Kids News’ calendar and reflects our company’s aim to do what we can to boost childhood literacy, something which is good for society and critical to Australia’s long-term prosperity.
“It is just fantastic tens of thousands of students and their teachers rise to the spelling challenge year after year and have fun in a safe, digital environment.”
Kids News editor Diana Jenkins said the organisation was proud to have celebrated the Bee’s milestone fifth birthday this year.
“It was quite a party: the Bee broke all previous records, with 3397 teachers registering over 82,500 students. That’s more than 12,000 extra kids in just one year – it’s so fantastic to see,” Ms Jenkins said.
“Teachers keep coming back to the Bee because it’s fun for kids and easy to run in their classrooms.
“Foundation literacy is the bedrock* of a sound education. There is no greater priority for Kids News than delivering reliable news and literacy tools like the Bee, both essential for all young Australians navigating the challenges of the future.
“The News in the Community program keeps these resources free of charge, so that every Australian child has equal access to opportunity.”
WATCH THE VIDEO
Video to come soon.
POLL
GLOSSARY
- psephology: the study of elections and voting
- respectively: in the order written
- cache: either a hidden storage of items or a type of computer memory from which high speed retrieval is possible
- faltered: speak with hesitation
- revelled: enjoying something quite a lot
- ambassador: a representative or promoter of a cause or activity
- resilience: the ability to bounce back when times get tough
- bedrock: the fundamental principles on which something is based
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QUICK QUIZ
1. Which word had everyone in the Prime Minister’s office laughing?
2. Who is South Australia’s first national champion?
3. How many times has Aditya Paul met Anthony Albanese?
4. How many students registered for the Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee this year?
5. How many years has the Bee been held?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What word would you choose?
Choose the hardest, strangest word that you can find. Write some rules or hints that might help the Prime Minister learn and remember how to spell it.
Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
"Who needs to learn how to spell when we have AI?" Write down what you would say to a person who thinks this to convince them that learning to spell is still important.
Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
“Spell It With Style” – Vocabulary & Oral Language
Time: 5–8 minutes
I can goal: I can use expressive language and strong vocabulary when speaking to an audience.
Activity:
In this article, the spelling champions shared the trickiest words they faced — words like cache, album, and the political term psephology.
Choose one tricky word from the article. In pairs, students take turns explaining the word aloud to their partner as if they are the spelling champion being interviewed.
They must:
- Say the word clearly and confidently
- Give a kid-friendly meaning
- Use the word in an interesting sentence
- Add expression or humour, just like the Prime Minister’s joking comment in the article
Invite 2–3 volunteers to share their “champion explanation” with the class.