Columbus kid seeks support to reach Top 20 in national superhero contest

COLUMBUS, Ind. - A Columbus child is a finalist in the 2026 Stan Lee’s Super Kid Competition and is seeking community support to get into the Top 20.

Asher Bentz, an 8-year-old third grader at Richards Elementary School in Columbus, has been selected as a contestant in the Stan Lee Super Kid contest.

According to Asher's mother, Jessica, he "absolutely LOVES Spider-Man. To him, Spider-Man isn’t just about swinging through New York City, shooting webs, and fighting villains. Spider-Man represents something much bigger.

On extremely hot days, Asher and his mom have handed out bottled water and popsicles to people experiencing homelessness, donated food to homeless shelters, placed books in Little Free Libraries so other children can discover stories, looked for ways to help people who may be struggling, and shown compassion toward strangers simply because he believes people should help one another.

The Grand Prize for the Stan Lee Super Kid contest includes:

• $25,000
• An opportunity to be featured as an illustrated character in a special-edition Stan Lee Universe comic book
• Four VIP tickets to the 2027 Los Angeles Comic Con

The contest offers a free daily vote here, so supporters can vote once each day without spending money. Paid votes are also available, but they are not required to support Asher.

The current voting round ends today, September 24, at 7 PM. If Asher advances to the current Top 20 round, the competition continues through progressively smaller voting rounds.