When local spelling champ Erik Williams punched his ticket to the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee, he looked to improve upon his 2019 performance when he finished in 51st place.

Local spelling star Erik Williams will compete in the quarterfinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Tuesday.

Erik Williams survived 25 rounds over three hours Monday morning to win his third straight First Coast Spelling Bee. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two titans of terminology traded words Friday morning in the finals of the First Coast Spelling Bee. The crown stayed with Erik Williams, an 8th grader from St. Johns Country Day School in Clay County, marking his third-straight First Coast Spelling Bee championship. “It’s really scary for everybody but you have to stay relaxed under pressure.”Adding an extra level of challenge to the 2021 First Coast Spelling Bee was the change in format, due to the global pandemic. Williams will now compete for the second time in the Scripps National Spelling Bee when the finals are held near Orlando in July.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The best fifth- through eighth-grade spellers from 14 counties in Northeast and North Central Florida will compete later this month in the 77th annual First Coast Spelling Bee. Rather than gathering in an auditorium, the March 29 bee will be held on Zoom. It’s Manischa Wijayawardhana of St. Johns County’s third regional bee. Armand Küykendall of Putnam County is also back for a third regional bee. The 14 county winners in the order they will compete on March 29OPEN: Details, photos of our 14 contestants

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The 14 best spellers from North Florida competed live Thursday night for a spot in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, and for the second year in a row, Erik Williams is moving on to Washington D.C. “I was pretty sure I knew what the word was, but I wanted to ask all of the questions just to make sure,” Erik said. Before his back-to-back wins, Erik was a runner-up during the First Coast Spelling Bee in 2018. The seventh grade St. Johns Country Day student appeared Friday on “The Morning Show.”RELATED | Interactive map of First Coast Spelling Bee contestantsErik defended his title at Jacksonville University’s Terry Concert Hall against some top notch competition from counties around Northeast Florida. Here are the contestants in the order that they competed, which was determined by a random drawing.