13 August 2026
‘Lauf’ and ‘minceur’: the words that made a 13-year-old from Melbourne a world Scrabble champion

Dineth Fernando – who moved to Australia with his family in February – says he just needed to ‘find the word and play – that’s all’ The 13-year-old won the 2026 world youth Scrabble championships in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi over the weekend, becoming the third Australian representative in the competition’s history to take out the prize.
About this report
Downunder Voices provides an independently written summary and community perspective based on information published by the original source. The original publisher remains responsible for its reporting.
Join our community
Follow Downunder Voices
Join thousands of readers following news and community stories from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.




