YOUNGSTOWN - Mahoning Valley students have the opportunity to showcase their spelling skills at the 93rd Annual 21 WFMJ Regional Spelling Bee.

The spelling bee will take place on Saturday, March 14, at 9:00 a.m. at Stambaugh Auditorium, located at 1000 5th Avenue in Youngstown.

The competing students represent public, private, parochial and charter schools from across Mahoning and Trumbull counties. Students who win their respective school's spelling bee will become 21 WFMJ Regional Spelling Bee's contestants.

The competition will end when three students remain and are crowned the Grand Champion, Runner-up and Third Place. 

Each participating contestant will receive a 21 WFMJ Regional Spelling Bee t-shirt, a school champion certificate and other mementos to remember their time in the spelling bee.

The Grand Champion will represent the Mahoning Valley at the 101st Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee on Memorial Day weekend in Washington, D.C.

Additionally, the Grand Champion will be awarded a $2,000 scholarship from Kent State University Trumbull Campus. The Runner-up will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship, and the Third Place student will receive a $500 scholarship.

The competition allows its participants to develop and improve not only their spelling skills, but their knowledge of words, including their definition, the origin of the word, parts of speech and how to use the words in sentences.

The Annual 21 WFMJ Regional Spelling Bee has been a tradition in the Mahoning Valley since 1934.