For his fourth and final time, Year 6 Coonabarabran Public School (on Kamilaroia and Wirdjuri land). student, William Weatherell, approached the microphone at this year’s annual spelling competition hoping to finally take home the winner’s trophy.

William was one of a handful of students to have qualified for the state finals four consecutive years in a row.

Unfortunately for William, the word ‘impertinence’’ was his undoing in round three of the Senior finals where Year 6 Eastern Creek Public School (on Wawarawarry land) student Svastik Biswas was named champion after eight rounds with the word ‘instrumentalist’.

It was a one-and-done win after runner-up Year 5 student Balise Reid from Mona Vale Public School (on Garigal Land) misspelled ‘precipitous’ on his first try in the competition’s final round.

It was the first time Svastik had made it to state level after falling short twice before.

The senior winner paradoxically doesn’t play an instrument; although after the win, he now cites ‘instrumentalist’ as his new favourite word.

"I clap out the syllables in a way that makes sense in my mind,” Svastik said of his winning spelling technique.

It was a different story in the junior round as Year 4 students Sukaina Kazmi from Chester Hill Public School (on Cabrogal land) and Finn McGhee from Narellan Vale Public School (on Dharawal land) went head-to-head for multiple rounds during round 10 in what ABC presenter and Spelling Bee announcer Toni Matthews declared a “spell off”.

The students tripped up on words such as ‘euphemism’ and ‘cynicism’ and ‘sabbatical’ as they moved through the rounds.

After a very considered spelling out of the word ‘subcutaneous’, Finn was declared the winner of the junior round.

Finn is the son of a journalist and a playwright with aspirations of someday becoming an author.

The junior winner said he had prepared one to two hours a day for two months.

“It just shows hard work and discipline really pays off,” Finn’s mum, Bina Bhattacharya, said.

“What do they say? Immigrants – we get the job done.”

Both 2025 winners are from Western Sydney and of Bengladesh origin.

As previously reported, 23 finalists speak a language other than English at home, making up 36 per cent of the competing cohort and representing 16 language groups.

The Arts Unit Premier’s Spelling Bee Support Officer, Desiree Lane, told SBS TV that each year, multilingual students perform particularly well as they’re able to “comprehend those spelling rules much more clearly and probably at a younger age”.

Sixty-four finalists from across the state competed in the annual event held at Penrith’s Q Theatre Joan Sutherland Performing Arts on Friday, 7 November.

The finals, for students in Years 2 to 6 at NSW public schools, capped off a record-breaking year for the competition.

Close to 200,000 students from more than 1,000 schools took part in school and regional rounds, a new high for the program launched in 2004 to boost literacy and foster a love of words.

The 2025 NSW Premier’s Spelling Bee is proudly supported by ABC Radio Sydney, ACCO Brands Australia, Word List Partner, Macquarie Dictionary and Venue Partner Penrith Performing & Visual Arts.