Sravanth Malla correctly spelled the word “Chytridiales” (an order of simple, aquatic fungi of the phylum Chytridiomycota) during the 2017 South Asian Spelling Bee finals to clinch the title of national champion and took home a cash prize of $3,000.

Sreeniketh Vogoti from St. Johns, Florida was the National 1st Runner-Up at the Touchdown Media initiative on Aug.4, which was taped live for broadcast on Sony Entertainment Television
The initiative was organized by leading multicultural advertising firm, Touchdown Media Inc. Sony Entertainment Television was the exclusive rights holder and broadcast the initiative across the globe in over 120 countries, Kawan Foods returned as the powered by sponsor for the initiative which is now in its 10th year.

The South Asian Spelling Bee celebrated a decade of bees, which included some special guests at the finals such as 2016 South Asian Spelling Bee National Champion, Siyona Mishra and 2015 South Asian Spelling Bee National Champion, Shourav Dasari.
“It fills my heart to see such talented young spellers from across the country who make us proud as a community. The initiative is unique in its reach and engagement and we are very blessed to have the patronage for over a decade of families who make it a prestigious platform. My hearties congratulations to the winner,” said Rahul Walia, Founder.

The initiative was open to children up to 14 years of age and was held in 8 regional centers across the United States. These areas included, New Jersey, DC Metro area, Dallas, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Bay Area, Charlotte, and the returning international center in Ghana.

Over 600 spellers from these centers participated from which 17 finalists took the stage at the Finals. Over 80% of the families and spellers are usually first time applicants aspiring to get the exposure and experience of being in the South Asian Spelling Bee. According to the applicant responses, 67% of the parents are from IT field, while 18% are from medical related fields and the remainder from legal, other professional and entrepreneurs. Families reported a median household income range of over $243,000 per annum.

“We are extremely happy with Sravanth’s win at the Bee as it goes to show that todays South Asian kids are all rounders and highly dedicated to their craft. We produced a special section called “Meet the Spellers where the viewers will have an opportunity to get to know some of the spellers including Sravanth better," said Tim Tan, Managing Director, Kawan Food, makers of the world’s most popular Roti Paratha Brand in the world - Kawan Paratha.

“Nail Biting contest year after year and I personally was unable to get up during the bee! It’s amazing to see the pool of talent from our community and am happy for Sravanth Malla’s win and excited to get to know him and some of the other spellers better in the “Meet the Speller” series airing shortly on Sony,” said Jaideep Janakiram, Head of North America, Sony Entertainment Television-Asia.

Children up to 14 years of age were eligible to participate and the contest saw spellers of even 6 years of age compete and make it past a few rounds. Registration for 2017 will open in October this year and for more information and to register your child, please visit www.SouthAsianSpellingBee.com.

Find us on Facebook at South Asian Spelling Bee and you can follow us on our Twitter handle at Spell South Asian.

About Touchdown Media Inc.:
Touchdown Media Inc. is a specialized South Asian advertising and promotions firm based in New Jersey. Now in its 13th successful year, Touchdown has helped clients, both mainstream and otherwise, reach out to the lucrative South Asian market. Touchdown Media represents more than 35 years of collective experience in this niche market. As a full-service ad firm, Touchdown has helped many clients achieve their media and marketing goals within the South Asian diaspora in the United States.

About Sony Entertainment Television Asia:
Since its launch on the Indian subcontinent in 1995, Sony Entertainment Television (SET) has enjoyed rapid success, leading to the establishment of European, North American and African feeds known as SET Asia. SET and SET Asia are now available in over 150 countries. The channels offer their viewers a distinctive blend of entertainment programs twenty-four hours a day, including, soap operas, dramas, sitcoms, concerts, movies, and game shows. For more information, visit www.setasia.tv.

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