The India Abroad awards in pictures
The India Abroad Publisher's Special Award of the year was conferred on Anurag Kashyap, Aliya Deri, Samir Sudhir Patel and Rajiv Tarigopula - youngsters who claimed four of the top five slots at the 78th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee, by India Abroad publisher Ajit Balakrishnan.
This is probably the first time all three toppers are of Indian origin - a huge achievement considering 10 million American children took part in the elimination rounds! The Washington Post noted, at the time, that "spellers of Indian descent have become a force in the bee".
Image: Ajit Balakrishnan with the Spelling Bee stars, (from left), Anurag Kashyap, Samir Sudhir Patel and Rajiv Tarigopula.