Wednesday, October 21, 2026
BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity
130 Pine Street, Florence
Doors open at 5:00 p.m.
Competition starts at 6:00 p.m.
Dinner for sale by Bread Euphoria from 5:00–7:00 p.m.
Herrell’s ice cream cups for sale
Broadcast by WHMP radio and live streamed by Northampton Open Media (NOM)
This family-friendly event is FREE, but attendees must register in advance on the Bombyx website. Walk-up entry will be available if we haven’t reached capacity.
ecdysiast (ek-DIZZY-ast): A burlesque performer
A skilled ecdysiast always leaves the crowd wanting more.
—Winning word from the 2025 NEF Adult Spelling Bee
Thank You to Event Sponsors
Fierst Bloomberg Ohm LLP
Friends of Marcia Burick
Marisa Labozzetta & Martin Wohl
Daily Hampshire Gazette
Team Sponsors
A2Z Science & Learning Toy Store
Barry and Ellen Nigrosh
Bonham & Douglas
Brian Leaf SAT Prep
Broadside Bookshop
Dale Melcher & Bill Newman
Gage-Wiley & Co.
Greenfield Cooperative Bank
Gwen Agna & Tom Marantz
Hawley Hooligans
High Five Books
Laurie Loisel Campaign
Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra Campaign Committee
Osaka Lunch Club
Paradise Copies
Red Barn Honey
River Valley Co-op
Talk the Talk on WHMP
Tandem Bagel Company
Adam & Yesenia Greeff
The Community Classroom
The Dadz
The Lathrop Community, Northampton
The Northampton Information Hub
Thornes Marketplace
UMassFive College Federal Credit Union
Whalen Insurance
Wohl Family Dentistry
Support NEF and Northampton’s public schools by sponsoring a Spelling Bee team or forming a team to be matched with a sponsor!
Businesses, organizations, and community members can sponsor a Spelling Bee team for $300. If you want to sponsor but don’t want to put together a team, NEF can match you with one. If you want to form a team but don’t have funds to register one, NEF will match you with a sponsor.
The NEF Spelling Bee is well-attended by an enthusiastic audience of community members and NEF supporters. Up to 40 teams composed of three adults, most in costume, vie for awards in spelling, costume, and humor. The Bee is broadcast live by WHMP and recorded and shared for replay by Northampton Open Media (NOM).
All funds raised by the NEF Spelling Bee support our Small Grants for Teachers program, which funds the development of creative and innovative teaching and learning initiatives in Northampton Public Schools and Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School. Last year’s Spelling Bee raised over $14,000 and NEF awarded over $65,000 in Small Grants across grade levels and content areas in Northampton’s public schools. Help us fund even more grants and opportunities by participating in the Bee!
This family-friendly event is FREE, but attendees must register in advance on the Bombyx website. Walk-up entry will be available if we haven’t reached capacity.
Watch this quick video on what it’s like to be on a Spelling Bee team.
Check out the 2025 NEF Spelling Bee on NOM’s YouTube site.
Sponsor and form a team for $300! Teams consist of three spellers. Humorous team names (especially with ”bee“ puns) and costumes are encouraged.
Sponsor and we‘ll match you with a team! If you don‘t have spellers to send we can match you with a team in need of sponsorship.
Form a team and we‘ll match you with a sponsor.
Complete the Spelling Bee Registration to participate.
It’s a blast! Plus, all the money raised by this event funds NEF‘s Small Grants and helps us fulfill our mission to support and strengthen public education in Northampton by providing resources that bring innovation and enrichment to students and teachers in every school.
Yes! Team sponsors will be recognized with gratitude on the Spelling Bee poster, in the spelling bee program, on NEF’s social media, and in the NEF newsletter.
Special thanks to our partners for live broadcasting the Spelling Bee Event!
