Wading its way through 7000 spellers' island wide, 83 competitions spanning over nine months, the CIMA Spellmaster has now reached a climax where the cream of the spelling crop from schools has come to light.

20 contestants from 7 of the nine provinces have spelled their way through to the Top 20 stage of the competition. The Western Province, leads the way with eight spellers, giving them the odds to grab the title of Spellmaster this year. Following them closely are the Southern and Central Provinces each having 3 spellers qualifying. 2 spellers each have emerged from the Northern and Eastern Provinces . Reminiscent of last year, only 1 contestant came through to the Top 20 from the Sabaragammuwa Province, and unlike last year, the Uva Province produced one contestant. It is noteworthy to mention that of the 20, 3 schools have produced 2 contestants each, the schools being, Royal College Colombo 7, Sacred Heart Convent Galle and St.Mary's College Trincomalee.

With this year's twenty, it's difficult to say who'll conquer the title of Spellmaster, as all of them are equally brilliant and conversant in their vocabulary and spelling, leaving the judges and audience in awe at their potential. The group whilst impressing have at times withered under pressure and missed out on words but come back strongly fighting their way back. According to the competitors the competition besides broadening their language skills has given them the opportunity to make a lot of friends and the 20 of them have gotten to be quite comfortable with each other. Some students said the competition gave them the courage and the experience to participate under pressure.

The going looks good, with attractive prize money and plenty at stake for the winner. The competition is expected to catch on even further in the coming weeks where 2 spellers will be eliminated every week until the grand finale where they will fight out for the title of Spellmaster. The competition rates as the best educational prog on TV last year has been catching on at a rapid pace amongst all age groups in the island. Catch the action this Sunday on Sirasa TV from 6 pm - 7 pm.