The 58th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, D.C. at the Capital Hilton on June 5–6, 1985, sponsored by the E.W. Scripps Company.
The winner was 13-year-old eighth-grader Balu Natarajan of Bolingbrook, Illinois, in his third appearance at the Bee (he finished 45th in 1983 and 63rd in 1984), the first winner from the Chicago area.[1] He spelled "milieu" for the win. Second place went to 13-year-old Kate Lingley of Dover-Foxcroft, Maine, who missed "farrago". Another 13-year-old, Tanya Solomon of Kansas City, Missouri, took third, missing "syllepsis".[2]
168 spellers competed in the Bee, 17 more than competed the previous year. There were 67 boys and 101 girls, including 19 repeat contestants,[2] one 9-year-old, two 10-year-olds, 19 at age 11, 26 at age 12, 65 at age 13, and 55 at age 14. A total of 719 words were used.[3] [4]
Natarajan was the first Indian-American to win the Bee, and has been credited for inspiring the later dominance of Indian-Americans in the bee.[5] [6] [7] [8]
In addition to non-cash gifts, the first-place winner received $1,000. Total prize money to all finalists was $10,500.[1] [2] [9]