Palmetto Spelling Bee Rally

The Quest Begins: Nine Months. One Porsche. Infinite Routes.

The Palmetto Spelling Bee Rally is back, but this isn’t your average Sunday drive. This is a nine-month tactical scavenger hunt where your Porsche is your pen and the South Carolina and beyond landscape is your parchment.

The Challenge: We’ve selected a series of Secret Words for the 2026 season. Your mission is to track down towns and landmarks across the state to “spell” them out, one photo at a time.

The Stakes: This is a leaderboard-style contest. Because strategy is everything, your routes and “letter captures” stay between you and the organizers until the final reveal. No spoilers, no leaked locations—just you, the open road, and a clever eye for signage.

How to Enter:

1. Scroll down to the registration form below.
2. Submit your entry to join the chase.
3. Check your inbox. Your confirmation email contains the Secret Words, official rules, and your “Spelling Bee” logbook.

The clock is ticking, and the road is calling. Do you have the miles in you to take the crown?

What is a Spelling Bee Rally?

The Spelling Bee Rally is an exciting tour where participants visit towns and cities of their choice, covering a required number of locations. Here’s the twist: you’ll be given a special phrase, and for each letter in that phrase, you must visit a town or city whose name starts with the corresponding letter.

For example, if the phrase contains the letter “S,” you’d visit a town like Summerville. You’ll take a photo as proof of your arrival—it’s as simple as that!

Whether you’re looking for a relaxing drive or a creative challenge, this rally has something for everyone.

Key Details and Rally Rules:

• Event Duration: The rally runs until November 30th, giving participants up to nine months to complete their journey.
• Eligibility: Any Porsche driver and their passengers are welcome to enter.
• Vehicle Requirement: Only Porsches may be used for the rally.
• Photo Submission: Participants must take a picture with their Porsche alongside a visible sign from the town or city.
  Examples include:
  • Town welcome signs
  • Government buildings (e.g., police station, fire department, town hall)
• Letter Matching: The first letter of each town/city must correspond with a letter in the provided phrase.
  • Towns that start with Town, such as Town of Summerville would count as an “S,” not a “T.”
• Unique Locations: Duplicate towns or cities cannot be used for multiple letters.
  • For example you can’t take two pictures of the Welcome to Charleston sign if there are two C’s in the word.
  • In the two C’s scenario you could go to Charleston and Columbia for example.
• Real Towns/Cities Only: Unincorporated areas do not count—they must be officially incorporated locations.
• States: No restrictions, you’re free to travel beyond South Carolina.
• Submission Deadline: All photos must be submitted by November 30th, 2026.

The Winner and Scoring:

The champion will be crowned at our Annual Holiday Party, where we’ll award a prize for first place. In case of a tie, participants can opt to complete a bonus word to break the deadlock, you cannot use the towns/cities you already visited for this bonus word. To ensure a fair but competitive result, we use a weighted scoring system:

• Photo Completion (75%): The “Engine” of your score. Points are awarded for each correct letter/town captured.
• Judges’ Flair (30%): This is where the rally is won or lost! Judges score your portfolio from 1 to 30 based on creativity and “Porsche Spirit.” A simple sign is a start, but posing with locals, finding unique landmarks, or capturing a stunning scenic backdrop will earn you the top tier.
• Completion Order (20%): We reward those who stay on the throttle. Points are weighted based on how early in the year you cross the finish line.
• Bonus Word (10%): The ultimate tiebreaker for those looking to secure the lead. One point awarded for each town in the tiebreaker word.

💡 Judge’s Tip: Last year’s top “Flair” scores went to members who went beyond the sign—like the member who photographed their Porsche at a fire station alongside a local firefighter!

The History of the Rally:

The spelling bee rally concept originates from the Las Vegas Region Porsche Club of America (PCA). The first rally began in 1980, which was a nationwide contest. Back then, participants mailed in physical photos as proof of their visits. We rediscovered this nostalgic event in a 1981 issue of the Palmetto Pipes newsletter and couldn’t resist bringing it back to life!

Get ready to start your engines, explore South Carolina’s (or other states) vibrant towns, and join in the fun of the Palmetto Region Spelling Bee Rally. We can’t wait to see your photos, and driving spirit!

Once you have your photos ready, they can be submitted here…