The Spelling Faces of the Scripps National Spelling Bee
Last night, Queens' own Arvind Mahankali, 13, won the Scripps National Spelling Bee by correctly spelling "knaidel," a Yiddish word for a kind of dumpling. (Mahankali had twice lost in the finals on Germanic words.) But Mahankali wasn't the only star—nearly every kid on the stage had presence. And good "concentration" faces.
Below, the best and cutest of this year's spelling faces—from the closed-eyes-screwed-up-mouth of concentration to the wry shrug of defeat.
Osvaldo Sanchez of Bakersfield, Calif. waits for his turn during the third round of the National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in Oxon Hill, Md. Sanchez spelled the word "oligarchic" correctly. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Katie Peterson of Palm Desert, California, thinks as she participates in the round two. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Rachael Cundey, of Evans, Ga., spells the word "lokshen" correctly during the second round of the National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Giabao Tonthat of Escondido, California, participates in the round two. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Sophia Limacher of Seattle, Washington, reacts after she misspelled her word in the round five. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Marguerite Arbogast, 13, of Ludington Mich., spells her word during the second round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2013. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
Christopher O'Connor, representing Arizona, spells a word during the semifinal round. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
Bryce Tasso, of Eagle River, Alaska spells the word "shrieval" correctly during the second round of the National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Zerin Wetzel of Fort Irwin, Calif., reacts after spelling the word "commissar" incorrectly during the second round of the National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Mary Geneve Skirvin of Nashville, Indiana, tries to spell her word during round five. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Victoria Allen of Green River, Wyo. pauses as she spells the word "alim" correctly during the second round of the National Spelling Bee, Wednesday, May 29, 2013, in Oxon Hill, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Chetan G. Reddy, representing Texas, reacts after misspelling a word during the championship round. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
Vanya Shivashankar, representing Kansas, waits for a word to spell during the championship round. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
Mollie J. Symons of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, smiles as she participates in the round two. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Jonathan Caldwell, representing Tennessee, reacts to misspelling a word during the semifinal round. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)
Eboseremhen Eigbe of Galloway, New Jersey, tries to spell a word in the round three. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)