naspaAs of January 1, 2010, Hasbro will stop support for all North American Scrabble tournaments. And they’re only providing partial support (still a $15,000 prize package, I believe) for the upcoming 2009 US National Scrabble Championship in Dayton, next week.

The National Scrabble Association, originally founded by Selchow & Righter, was the branch that funded and oversaw these tournaments, and they are instead turning to promoting Scrabble in schools and other such activities. As a result, a new organization, the North American Scrabble Players Association, was formed this month to take over the North American tournament scene.

For more information, see their FAQ.

The 2009 World Scrabble Championships will be held in Malaysia, in November.