43rd Scripps National Spelling Bee
| 43rd Scripps National Spelling Bee | |
|---|---|
The Mayflower Hotel, site of the 43rd National Spelling Bee | |
| Date | June 3–4, 1970 |
| Location | The Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. |
| Winner | Libby Childress |
| Age | 14 |
| Residence | Mount Airy, North Carolina |
| Sponsor | Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel |
| Sponsor location | Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| Winning word | croissant |
| No. of contestants | 74 |
| Pronouncer | Richard R. Baker |
| Preceded by | 42nd Scripps National Spelling Bee |
| Followed by | 44th Scripps National Spelling Bee |
The 43rd Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Mayflower Hotel on June 3–4, 1970, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
The winner was 14-year-old Libby Childress of Mount Airy, North Carolina, with the winning word "croissant". The competition ended with an 18-word duel with 14-year-old Tom Moe Jr. of Denver, who eventually misspelled "corymb" as "chorimbe".
There were 74 spellers this year, 44 girls and 30 boys. The first-place prize was $1000 (and a trip to New York City), $500 for second, $250 for third, $100 for next five, $75 for next ten, and $50 each for the remaining spellers.
As of 2015, Childress is the last entrant from North Carolina to win the national contest.