Remarkables Primary School made it two in a row when it won the Otago Daily Times Extra! Spelling quiz in Cromwell last night.
Updates on scores and progress were given during the quiz, setting the packed hall abuzz as the points were read out.
It was a close finish for the top three teams in the years 5-6 category, won by the Remarkables Primary School team, with 92 points out of a possible 100. Tied for second place on 91 points were The Terrace School, from Alexandra, and Holy Family Wanaka.
Remarkables One team members Paulo Bjorck, Cole Bramwell and Max Sinclair all agreed it was ''awesome'' to win, and a lot of fun.
Cole said the hardest part was waiting for the answers so they could find out if they had responded correctly.
In the years 7-8 category, a play-off between two teams tied for first place was held to determine the winner.
Intermittent was the word that made all the difference.
Queenstown Primary School team one, comprised of Seth Mawhinney, Om Shetty and Hylton Briscoe, took first place, followed by Holy Family School team two.
Om Shetty said the hardest part was the ''guess the word'' section.
''We thought we were going to lose. The spell-off was the best; it was so intense.''
The winning teams received a plaque for display at their school, medals, book vouchers, and pens, while placegetters received book vouchers and pens.
Quiz organiser and Extra! editor Ivan Behrnes said the event had been running in the area for about eight years.
Almost all schools in Central Otago had entered this year's event, he said.
About 250 pupils across the two age brackets participated in last night's quiz.
Overall, the quiz series had attracted about 1300 pupils.
The Central South Island quiz will be held in Timaru on July 2 and 3.
The Otago Daily Times Extra! spelling quizzes are a part of the newspaper's Class Act programme, which celebrates the excellence of young people.
Extra! is a monthly educational publication produced by the newspaper for senior primary, intermediate, and junior secondary pupils.
