Vicspell rose from humble beginnings, starting as a locally born and run spelling competition called Gippspell. Its aim was to promote and reward good spelling across Gippsland and was open to all local students in Years 5 to 8.

In its first two years Gippspell divided Gippsland into three zones – West, Central and Eastern. It was decided to expand the competition in 2008 by using the five Gippsland shires as sectors and to include Cardinia. Then Casey City was added and, in 2012, Mornington Shire was included. Consequently, Gippspell has grown to 80 registered schools annually. To reflect this expansion, the name was changed from Gippspell to Vicspell.

The competition is greatly indebted to the host schools and convenors in the various cities and shires. Competing and host schools come from the government, independent and Catholic sectors, as well as primary and secondary.

The competition is financed by a $20 fee paid by each of the competing schools. Sponsors help promote the competition and complete the funding needed.

Covid lockdowns over the past few years have meant that the competition has been put on hold. This year we were luck enough to again run the competition, however numbers were down. We encourage schools to again take up the challenge in 2023.

This year’s zone final for East Gippsland took place on Monday 15 August 15 and was hosted by Nagle College, Bairnsdale. Students from six schools participated.