Certiport Announces Microsoft Office Regional Competition Winners for Europe, Middle East and Africa Students

Certiport (www.certiport.com), the official test delivery solution provider for the global workforce and academic markets, today named this year's champions in Word and Excel at the first-ever Regional Competition on Microsoft Office for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The 2010 EMEA regional award winners include: • Panagiotis Giannopoulos, Greece, Microsoft Office Word 2003 • Sam Wills, UK, Microsoft Office Word 2007 • Emanuele Tarquini, Italy, Microsoft Office Excel 2003 • Nathaniel Fox, UK, Microsoft Office Excel 2007 Details about the Regional Competition on Microsoft Office: www.certiport.com/emeacompetition “The first regional competition was a great success," said Quinn Sutton, Senior Vice President, Certiport. “These students will be competing in a global economy, and industry-recognized credentials are more important than ever before. We started a regional Microsoft Office competition this year to highlight those tools that are allowing students to thrive in their education environment and maximize their potential in school and beyond." Student participants who outperformed their peers at the competition, which focused on demonstrating proficiency utilizing the world’s foremost desktop computing applications, generally had perfect or near-perfect exam scores and completion times well below the allotted examination time. "When we began the process of finding the UK's brightest computer students, little did we know we would return from the European Final in Madrid with two gold medals," said Kevin Ryan, Certiport Partner, Prodigy Learning. "It's a credit to the talent of these students. The title of European Champion, alongside their Microsoft Office Specialist certification, is an extraordinary addition to each of their resumes." As the Regional Champions, winners received cash prizes and the opportunity to compete at this year's Worldwide Championships held in Park City, Utah, in August 2010. In its sixth year, Certiport's Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office has grown steadily since its inauguration, and the number of exams entered worldwide has doubled over last year. Honoring the important role that certification plays in the standards and assessment community, this premier student technology competition helps validate that students have the expertise needed to compete in the global workforce. Print-quality photos of this year's regional winners can be previewed and downloaded at: www.flickr.com/photos/certiport. More information about the Microsoft Office Specialist certification program can be found at: www.certiport.com/officespecialist.