Certiport Anoints Word and Excel Champions at 2006 Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office

Students from Singapore and Australia earn title of "Best in the World" in Microsoft desktop productivity programs

ORLANDO (Certiport PATHWAYS 2006) – August 5, 2006

Certiport today announced Lay Yong Shun Edward, 18, from Singapore and Tristam Horn, 26, from New South Wales, Australia as this year's World Champions for Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, respectively, at the annual Worldwide Competition on Microsoft® Office presented by Certiport. A record 40,000 students from 66 countries participated in several rounds of local, country, and regional competitions, capped by the world championship round in Orlando, Florida, USA to determine this year's winners. The two world champions were recognized for their accomplishments in ceremonies at the Certiport PATHWAYS conference in Orlando where 36 country winners competed.

"Receiving this award is exciting after a great deal of hard work to prepare myself for certification," said Edward, 2006 World Champion in Microsoft Word. "I feel extremely great to have come this far."

"Winning this competition in Microsoft Office Specialist certification is a tremendous honor," said Tristam, 2006 World Champion in Microsoft Excel. "I worked hard to gain this credential because it will help me succeed as a teacher. Having up-to-date technical skills is vital for ensuring a quality education for my future students."

The competition has grown steadily, both in world coverage and in participation, since its inauguration in 2002 as a regional event in Asia. 2006 has seen students from an additional 25 countries over the previous year participate to capture the coveted championship. Last year's record numbers in participation also jumped by more than 15,000 students in 2006.

"Tomorrow's leaders will emerge from the aspiring youth of today," said David Saedi, president and CEO of Certiport. "This worldwide competition provides a unique forum for students of this caliber to distinguish themselves through a set of digital skills essential to their academic and professional success."

Edward is a student in Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore. He hopes to use his computer skills to pursue his passion for music and in continuing education. Edward's trip to the Orlando competition was sponsored by NTUC CertCentral, Certiport Solution Provider in Singapore. Tristam is a student at Charles Stuart University in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. He is studying to become an ICT teacher in high school. Tristam's trip to the competition was sponsored jointly by InLearning Pty. Ltd. and Intouch Consultancy Pty. Ltd., Australian Solution Providers for Certiport.

This year's winners receive a prize package from Certiport worth more than $4,000. It includes a Dell laptop computer, HP iPAQ personal digital assistant, Samsung portable media center, and a Microsoft Xbox game system.

In its forth year, the competition attracted student entrants from around the world, producing country champions from Albania, Anguila, Argentina, Austria, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, China, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Haiti, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Korea, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Russia Federation, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (British), Virgin Islands (US) and Zimbabwe.

For more information about the 2006 Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office presented by Certiport, visit: www.certiport.com/competition.

About Certiport

Certiport provides industry-leading training, assessment and certification solutions that enable individuals to develop the skills necessary to achieve more, distinguish themselves and advance in today's academic and business environments. These solutions include the Certiport Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³®), the Microsoft Office Specialist Certification Program and Microsoft IT Academy delivered through a channel of more than 10,000 Certiport Centers worldwide. For more information about Certiport, visit www.certiport.com.

"Certiport" and "IC³" are registered trademarks of Certiport, Inc. in the United States and other countries. "Microsoft" is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Press Contact:

John Pilmer
801-369-7535
mediarelations@certiport.com