It's that time of the year again! For those who are familiar with the RHB New Straits Times Spell-It-Right (SIR) competition, the lines: "Your word is …" and "Please spell the word …" are simply nostalgic. These lines invoke flashbacks of spellers in primary and secondary school uniforms standing on stage in front of a microphone, with headphones on their heads, nervously trying to spell out the letters to words they had never heard of before.
Season 10 of the competition kicks off on August 16, using a brand new format. As with the previous years, the challenge is divided into three stages. What is different, however, is the way each level will be played.
This time around, there will no longer be a written test for participants to enter the state challenge. Instead, students will be using a mobile application called SIR Challenge. From August 21 onwards, students can begin to access the mobile app or website and take part in the competition.
On the new format of this year's SIR competition, New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad (NSTP) general manager of Marketing, Farah Ezrin Mohd Rashidi said: "In conjunction with celebrating SIR's 10th year anniversary, the first two challenges (preliminary and state) will be done online, whereby participants can either participate via the SIR website or the SIR mobile application. It is about time that we integrate the digital element into this competition."
"Digital activation will expand the reach for this spelling competition to a wider audience. It will also provide greater opportunity for students to participate as the accessibility and convenience are at their discretion.
"Students, teachers or parents will no longer have to travel to each SIR's state challenge venue to participate," she added.
Jointly organised by the New Straits Times and RHB Banking Group as a corporate social responsibility exercise, Spell-It-Right began in 2008 with the objective to foster English proficiency among young Malaysians and to promote the usage of the newspaper as an educational tool. The competition has received endorsement from the Ministry of Education.
The competition is open to all those studying in national, national-type and private schools using the Malaysian national education syllabus.
Every year, the competition attracts more than 15,000 participants and remains the most sought-after competition in the country.
This year, a total of RM80,000 in cash prize awaits winners of the Online State Champion and the National Challenge.
