Cloverleaf Spelling Competition Returns to Mendel Center

Annual regional spelling bee draws top student spellers from Southwest Michigan

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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The 2026 Cloverleaf Spelling Competition, organized by Berrien RESA, will be held on February 24 at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center in Benton Harbor. The event brings together the best student spellers from Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties to compete for cash prizes and a spot at the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee.

Why it matters

While spelling may seem like an outdated skill in the digital age, the Cloverleaf Spelling Competition helps develop important abilities like public speaking, confidence, and a deeper understanding of language and vocabulary - skills that benefit students throughout their education and careers.

The details

The Cloverleaf Spelling Competition is celebrating its 100th year nationally, with the Southwest Michigan regional event running since the 1970s. This year's competition will feature 54 students from 18 schools representing grades 3-8, who earned their spots through school-level spelling bees earlier in the school year. The top prize is paid admission to the prestigious Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.

  • The 2026 Cloverleaf Spelling Competition will be held on February 24.
  • The Cloverleaf Spelling Competition has been running in Southwest Michigan since the 1970s.

The players

Berrien RESA

The regional educational service agency organizing the Cloverleaf Spelling Competition.

Tonya Snyder

The student talent coordinator at Berrien RESA who oversees the spelling competition.

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What they’re saying

“It's an annual event gathering of some of the best spellers from Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties, and we establish a winner, and that winner heads on to represent Southwest Michigan at the national level.”

— Tonya Snyder, Student Talent Coordinator, Berrien RESA (moodyonthemarket.com)

“It gives those students some extra skills. One of them would be standing up in front of a group of people under kind of stressful circumstances. Since spelling — while it's important, it is not as heavily emphasized sometimes as other skills. It's pretty intense to stand up in front of a group of people and do something that not many other people are asked to do in their life.”

— Tonya Snyder, Student Talent Coordinator, Berrien RESA (moodyonthemarket.com)

What’s next

The winner of the Cloverleaf Spelling Competition will represent Southwest Michigan at the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. in the spring.

The takeaway

While spelling may seem like an outdated skill, the Cloverleaf Spelling Competition helps students develop valuable abilities like public speaking, confidence, and a deeper understanding of language - skills that will benefit them throughout their education and careers. The competition also provides an opportunity for the region's top student spellers to showcase their talents and potentially advance to the prestigious national spelling bee.