Los Alamos 8th Grader Hannah Li Wins New Mexico State Spelling Bee

Hannah Li had come close before. The Los Alamos Middle School eighth grader placed second and third in her previous two appearances at the New Mexico State Spelling Bee, each near-miss sharpening her resolve. On Saturday, the third time was a charm.

Li, 13, outlasted 25 competitors in the hourslong state bee, spelling "biquintile" and "hygrometer" in the championship round to claim first place. The victory earns her a trip to the National Scripps Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., this May, where she will represent New Mexico as the state's sole qualifier.

The decisive moment came when runner-up Max Berger of Albuquerque Academy misspelled "dysautonomia," a disorder of the nervous system. Third place went to Cuillena Spacek of Hills Academy in Farmington, who had been eliminated one round earlier after misspelling "sonobuoy," defined as a sonar system used to detect submarines.

When asked if the tension in the room had rattled her, Li was characteristically understated. "Not really," she said. The competition had drawn visible anxiety from contestants and parents alike, with the crowd tugging hair and burying faces through the hourslong ordeal.

Holding her trophy with a wide grin afterward, Li searched for words. "It's like, the feeling of knowing all your work paid off," she said.

That work stretched back years. Li began competing in school and district spelling bees in fourth grade, logging one to two hours of study every day from August through March. Her preparation regimen included copying roughly one page of a 4,000-word list per day using a notepad and pen, while her father used an app to quiz her on retention.

This year, her training time was squeezed by other commitments, including speech and debate. Rather than trying to out-memorize the field, she adapted: she shifted focus toward learning the spelling patterns of different languages, giving her a framework for tackling dictionary words that competitors could not study in advance.

The state title is the culmination of a three-year run of district dominance. At the 2026 Los Alamos Public Schools District Spelling Bee, held in January at the Los Alamos High School Speech Theater, Li correctly spelled "acetone" in the 16th round to win her third consecutive LAPS district championship. Sixteen students from all five LAPS elementary schools and Los Alamos Middle School competed that night, with Fynn Johnson, a sixth grader at Mountain Elementary, finishing second, and Oliver Truong, a fourth grader at Aspen Elementary, placing third.

Her advice to younger spellers carries the weight of someone who kept showing up after two state podium finishes that fell short of the top: "Just like keep trying. I wanted to win the past couple years but I couldn't, so just keep trying and you'll reach your goal."

Berger, who had previously topped out at fifth place in the state bee, offered a runner-up's honest accounting. "I'm always coming up short, second place is a huge achievement, nonetheless," he said. "It could hurt a little bit. I mean, you're right there, but it still feels amazing — I've done so much, worked so hard at this."

Li will now prepare for the National Scripps Spelling Bee in May, representing a county of roughly 19,000 people on the national stage.