Participants in the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week received a special keepsake to honor the Bee's 100th anniversary. Rookwood Pottery produced commemorative ceramic medals for all the spellers.
"This year, because it's the 100th anniversary of the National Spelling Bee, we teamed up with Scripps to create a token to commemorate [it]; something that all the participants can take home and enjoy to celebrate their hard work and dedication to the Bee," explains Lindsey Zinno, marketing and e-commerce manager with Rookwood Pottery.
Rookwood Pottery, which is owned by Marilyn Scripps, great granddaughter of E.W. Scripps, began making the Spelling Bee trophy in 2019. Zinno tells WVXU Marilyn Scripps wanted to do something special to highlight the Bee's centennial.
"We came up with this honey-hued ceramic medallion that has a bee on it and an open book with 1925 and 2025 on it, and there's a little honeycomb." Zinno points out.
On the back, the medallion reads: "Celebrating 100 years of giving students the words they need to shine their light on the world."
The handmade medallions are lightweight, according to Zinno.
"I think that people think that things that are ceramics are going to be like lugging around this big, heavy brick. But, if you've ran a race, it feels kind of like that [type of medal]."
Zinno says the company produced hundreds of the medallions, which are more resilient than you may think.
"We can throw these things around, and they're surprisingly sturdy for pottery, for sure," she adds.
Scripps, which is also headquartered in Cincinnati, commissioned Rookwood in 2019 to create the first custom trophy in its 94-year history. The cup was designed by Mary Guanciale, hand-carved by Gary Simon, and hand-painted by artists Deborah Smith and Heidi Shannon.
Called the "Scripps Cup," it features a honeycomb interwoven with a gladiolus flower blooming from an open book and decorated with bee filigree.
"Gladiolus" was the first winning word in 1925. That competition, held in Washington, D.C., featured nine contestants. An 11-year-old named Frank Neuhauser correctly spelled the flower to take home a gold medal and a $500 prize.
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