American Scrabble Tournaments
North American Scrabble Players Association (NASPA) is the organization that administers 100+ competitive Scrabble matches and tournaments each year in the United States and Canada.
The North American Scrabble Championship (NASC) is, by far, the largest NASPA-rated tournament in the U.S. with an average of 400+ players in attendance each year. For American and Canadian students in 3rd through 8th grade, the North American School Scrabble Championship is the go-to.
The yearly NASPA tournament schedule includes a host of other United States Scrabble tournaments that are scattered across the country in places like New Orleans, LA; Lake George, NY; Las Vegas, NV; and Boston, MA.
Close behind those in attendance to the NASC are tournaments currently scheduled in Georgetown, TX; Nashville, TN; Poughkeepsie, NY; and Atlanta, GA. There are many other smaller regional tournaments always happening as well.
Because of the breadth and depth of NASPA-rated tournaments, the present reference guide focuses on the winners and runners-up of the largest annual US Scrabble competitions: the NASC and North American School Scrabble Championship.
NASC Champions
The NASC was previously called the National Scrabble Championship, but it was renamed to the North American Scrabble Championship to recognize the longtime attendance of Canadian Scrabble players.
The tables in the following two sections outline all previous NASC Division 1 title winners. The tables are separated based on preferred word list: the NASPA Word List or the international Collins Scrabble Words.
NASPA Word List Champions Collins Scrabble Words Winners NA School Scrabble WinnersNASPA Word List Champions
NASPA Word List (NWL)—the official word authority for Scrabble events in the U.S., Canada and Thailand—is based on the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (OSPD).
The NWL was formerly coined the Official Tournament and Club Word List (OTCWL) and is often abbreviated as either TWL or OWL.
In the following Overview are past NASC Division 1 Scrabble title champions who competed using the NWL.
Collins Scrabble Words
The international Collins Scrabble Words (CSW) lexicon is the official U.K. version of the NASPA Word List 2018 (NWL) and the leading word list for English-language Scrabble competitions around the world.
But the CSW list is also the preferred word list for some United States Scrabble players.
Here are the past Division 1 NASC winners who competed using the Collins lexicon.
| Year | Name | Location | Entrants | Divisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Jesse Day | Reno, NV | 35 | 1 |
| 2018 | Evans Clinchy | Buffalo, NY | 73 | 2 |
| 2017 | Austin Shin | New Orleans, LA | 64 | 2 |
| 2016 | David Eldar | Fort Wayne, IN | 44 | 1 |
| 2015 | Peter Armstrong | Reno, NV | 48 | 1 |
| 2014 | Adam Logan | Buffalo, NY | 63 | 1 |
| 2013 | John O'Laughlin | Las Vegas, NV | 40 | 1 |
| 2012 | Sam Kantimathi | Orlando, FL | 38 | 1 |
NASC 2020: The next NASC competition will take place in Baltimore, MD this coming August. We’ll provide updates on the champion at the conclusion of the event.
North American School Scrabble Championship
The annual North American School Scrabble Championship, previously called the National School Scrabble Championship, was first held in 2003 in Boston, MA.
Seven years down the road, in 2010, top Canadian players were encouraged to compete as well. The following year, in 2011, the first Canadian champions claimed the title.
The table below provides a quick rundown of the winners and runners-up, the location, and the director of every North American School Scrabble Championship.
| Year | Winners | Runners-Up | Location | Event Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Jeffrey Pogue (CT) and Noah Slatkoff (ON) | Thomas Shundi (NC) and Archit Kalra (FL) | Philadelphia, PA | Ben Greenwood |
| 2018 | Jeffrey Pogue (CT) and Noah Slatkoff (ON) | Knox Daniel and Logan Strzepek (VA) | Philadelphia, PA | Judy Cole and Jason Keller |
| 2017 | Zach Ansell and Jem Burch (CA) | Knox Daniel and Logan Strzepek (VA) | Foxborough, MA | Jason Keller |
| 2016 | Jem Burch and Cooper Komatsu (CA) | Matias Shundi and Javier Contreras (NC) | Foxborough, MA | John Chew |
| 2015 | Noah Kalus (NY) and Zach Ansell (CA) | Matias Shundi and Javier Contreras (NC) | Pawtucket, RI | John Chew |
| 2014 | Thomas Draper (NJ) and Jacob Sass (TX) | Jack Miklaucic and Nicholas Miklaucic (NC) | Providence, RI | John Chew |
| 2013 | Kevin Bowerman and Raymond Gao (NC) | Thomas Draper (NJ) & Sam Masling (DC) | Washington, DC | John Chew |
| 2012 | Andy Hoang & Erik Salgado (NC) | Thomas Draper & Nicholas Vasquez (NJ) | Orlando, FL | John Chew |
| 2011 | Alex Li & Jackson Smylie (ON) | Evan McCarthy & Bradley Robbins (NH) | Orlando, FL | John Chew |
| 2010 | Evan McCarthy & Bradley Robbins (NH) | Timothy Bryant & Kevin Rosenberg (NY) | Orlando, FL | Ben Greenwood |
| 2009 | Andy Hoang & Erik Salgado (NC) | Paolo Federico O'Murchu & Nicholas Vasquez (NJ) | Providence, RI | Ben Greenwood |
| 2008 | Logan Rosen & Matthew Silver (CT) | Dorian Hill & Joey Krafchick (GA) | Providence, RI | Ben Greenwood |
| 2007 | Aune Mitchell & Matthew Silver (CT) | Dorian Hill & Joey Krafchick (GA) | Providence, RI | Ben Greenwood |
| 2006 | Aaron Jacobs & Nathan Mendelsohn (MA) | Boston, MA | Ben Greenwood | |
| 2005 | Scott Cardone & Asif Rahman (OH) | Boston, MA | Ben Greenwood | |
| 2004 | Thomas Bao & Eric Johnston (CA) | Boston, MA | Ben Greenwood & Joe Edley | |
| 2003 | Nick Amphlett & John Ezekowitz (MA) | Boston, MA | Ben (Loiterstein) Greenwood & Joe Edley |
2020 North American School Scrabble Championship: The upcoming NASSC will be organized and sponsored by Hasbro. The event will take place on April 18-19, 2020 in Baltimore, MD.