Quick Facts
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Biography
Akash Vukoti (born May 29, 2009) is an Indian-American child prodigy, TV personality, and motivational speaker from San Angelo, Texas. He competed for a record 6 times at the Scripps National Spelling Bee and was the first-ever first grader to compete in the bee. His first television appearance was in the NBC TV show Little Big Shots with Steve Harvey in March 2016.
Academic achievements
Vukoti competed in his first spelling bee when he was 2 years old. He was inducted into American Mensa at the age of 3 and became a Davidson Young Scholar at the age of 5. He became the first-ever first grader to compete in the history of the Scripps National Spelling Bee at the age of 6 years, in 2016. He later competed in the 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023 Scripps National Spelling Bees. This made Vukoti the only person to compete at the Scripps National Spelling Bee for a record 6 times.
Television shows & media coverage
Vukoti was featured on several TV shows, such as Little Big Shots in Season 1 (2016), Season 2 (2017) and Little Big Shots UK (Episode 4) in 2017. He was also featured on the Steve Harvey talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and The Preachers in 2016. He appeared as a guest on the Harry show in 2017. Akash was also featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show on November 10, 2020.
On September 25, 2018, Vukoti was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on Dancing with the Stars: Juniors, a spin-off of Dancing with the Stars. He is the youngest celebrity competitor in Dancing with the Stars history. His professional partner was Kamri Peterson and the couple were mentored by Witney Carson. The trio were eliminated 7th from the competition on November 18, 2018.
Vukoti was interviewed live on CNN International from Hong Kong and CTV from Canada in 2016. He was interviewed on Australia’s The Morning Show of Seven Network in 2019 and again in 2021, and by TV9 Telugu in Hyderabad, India on January 14, 2020. Vukoti runs his YouTube channel, which has garnered over 800,000 subscribers and over 125 million views as of May 2023. Vukoti has also done commercials for IBM, Amazon Kindle and the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Documentaries and films
Vukoti has been featured in HBO and BBC documentaries. Episode 231 of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel titled “Brain Games and Mental Athletes” featured Vukoti and aired on June 21, 2016, on HBO. The BBC documentary The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life Revealed showcased Vukoti's talent in the episode "Learn" and aired on October 9, 2017, on BBC Two.
He has been featured in the award-winning documentary film Spelling the Dream, which released on Netflix on June 3, 2020, in over 190 countries. The film has generated positive reviews from around the world.
Public speaking
As of 2024, Vukoti has embarked on a second career in motivational speaking. He presents keynote speeches at various companies, schools, and school districts. Notably, he delivered a keynote address at the Charter Institute at Erskine School District Principals' Meeting in Columbia, South Carolina on February 28th, 2024. Additionally, he gave the commencement speech at a high school graduation in Charleston, South Carolina on June 1st, 2024, while he was still a high school freshman. Furthermore, he has delivered numerous motivational speeches at multiple colleges and schools throughout India.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Distributor | Country | Release Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Human Body: Secrets of Your Life Revealed | BBC | UK | October 9 | |
| 2020 | Spelling the Dream | Netflix | Worldwide | June 3 |
Television
| Year | Title | Channel | Country | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Little Big Shots | NBC | USA | Season 1, Episode 1; Aired March 8 Season 1, Episode 9; Top 10 Moments; Aired May 8 | |
| 2016 | Steve Harvey | Syndication | USA | Aired March 11 | |
| 2016 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | ABC | USA | Aired June 2 | |
| 2016 | Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel | HBO | USA | Brain Games; Aired June 21 | |
| 2016 | The Preachers | Syndication | USA | Aired July 11 | |
| 2017 | Little Big Shots UK | ITV | UK | Aired March 29 | |
| 2017 | Little Big Shots | NBC | USA | Season 2, Episode 7; Aired April 23 | |
| 2017 | Harry | Syndication | USA | Aired April 27 | |
| 2018 | Dancing with the Stars: Juniors | ABC | USA | Eliminated 7th in the 6th week; Aired October 7 to November 18 | |
| 2020 | Akashamanta | TV9 Telugu | India | Television special; Aired January 13 | |
| 2020 | The Kelly Clarkson Show | Syndication | USA | Season 2; Aired November 10 |
Awards
| Year | Association | Award | Category | Place | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Telugu Association of North America | Special Recognition Award | Spelling & Language | St. Louis | |
| 2017 | North America Telugu Society | Honorary Title Dhaarana Vaamana | Special Honor | Chicago | |
| 2020 | Global Child Prodigy Awards | Global Child Prodigy Award 2020 | Language | New Delhi |
Personal life
Akash Vukoti is the son of Chandrakala Jandyam and Dr. Krishna M Vukoti, who immigrated to the United States from Andhra Pradesh, India. Akash has an elder sister Amrita, who is also a Davidson Young Scholar and a member of Mensa. Both Amrita and Akash Vukoti competed in the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Philanthropy
Vukoti has donated to various non-profit organizations like Children's Miracle Network in San Angelo, Wikipedia, Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, Telangana CM Relief Fund, Water.org and Kerala Floods Relief Fund. He has also donated to Bharat Ke Veer, an Indian government initiative supporting the families of deceased Central Armed Police Forces and Assam Rifles personnel. Vukoti has also donated to non-profit organizations the American Red Cross Society and the Government of India's PM CARES Fund to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
