Certiport Names 2021 Microsoft Office Specialist World Champions

SALT LAKE CITY,Nov. 16,2021 -- The winners of the 2021 Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) World Online Championship have been announced by Certiport,the leading provider of performance-based IT certification exams that accelerate academic and career opportunities for learners.

In its 19th year,the competition attracted more than 200,000 contestants from 108 countries. Students,ages 13 to 22,competed with peers to prove their superior skills in Microsoft Word,Excel,and PowerPoint,culminating in the most popular technology skills competition on Microsoft Office—and the only one endorsed by Microsoft since its inception in 2002.

To enter the competition,students took a qualifying Microsoft Office Specialist certification exam to demonstrate their mastery of Microsoft Office technology. Regional competitions were held worldwide and 160 finalists from 33 countries qualified to compete in the final round of competition held virtually from November 9-11.

The 2021 Microsoft Office Specialist World Champions are:

Microsoft Word® (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019)

First place: Ondrej Cach,Czech Republic

Second place: Man Weng Tong,Macau

Third place: Qiao Yan Yang – Malaysia

Microsoft Word® (Office 2016)

First place: Huy Nguyen Quoc,Vietnam

Second place: Leyao Huang,China

Third place: Peng Yu Lin,Taiwan

Microsoft PowerPoint® (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019)

First place: Andrew Chuang Saladin,USA

Second place: Ma. Jessa Gomez,Philippines

Third place: Ka Hin Hung,Hong Kong

Microsoft PowerPoint® (Office 2016)

First place: Masaharu Komiyama,Japan

Second place: Carson Mulvey,USA

Third place: Siddh Vora,India

Microsoft Excel® (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019)

First place: Ami Nakazono,Japan

Second place: Joaquin Saul Rivera Rivera,Peru

Third place: Viktoria Zhelyazkova Kabaivanova,Bulgaria

Microsoft Excel® (Office 2016)

First place: Songyao Luo,China

Second place: Phat Nguyen Duc,Vietnam

Third place: Ka Kiu Chan,Hong Kong

In the concluding round,competitors participated in a two-part skills demonstration. The first skills demonstration was a 30-minute timed exam. The second,an advanced three-hour research project,in which students research their given topic,formulate an opinion,and represent their conclusions and research in an asset appropriate to the competition application (Word report,Excel workbook,or PowerPoint presentation). This is the first year where students competed virtually,and the first year that students were required to complete a free-form project.

Certiport and Microsoft recognized the top student competitors in the MOS World Championship Online Awards Ceremony and presented each First place winner with a $7,000 cash prize,Second place with $3,500 and Third place with $1,500.

"In 2020,we missed the opportunity to showcase the incredible talents and accomplishments of these MOS Champions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However,we couldn't let the global pandemic stand in the way in 2021," said Ray Murray,Vice President and General Manager – IT,Pearson VUE. "It is inspiring to see students from 33 countries come together virtually to 'speak Microsoft'. The winners receive extra praise,but every single student who entered has earned a valuable workforce credential that will help them find success in college and in their career. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of IT skills for tomorrow's professionals and it's incredible to see so many young people get introduced to IT certifications through the MOS World Championship."

Microsoft Office Specialist is the only official Microsoft-recognized certification for Microsoft Office globally and serves as a powerful instrument for assessing students' skills and preparing them for real-world application of their knowledge.

"The Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship is one of my favorite events,because these students are thrilled to compete and they inspire all of us with their competitive spirit and crowning achievement," said Leigh Creswell - Director,Public Sector Skills,Microsoft. "These young people who worked to earn valuable industry-recognized certifications represent a bright future for our industry and a solid foundation for the future skilled global workforce."

Next year,Certiport will host the 2022 Microsoft Office Specialist World Championship at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim,CA,from July 24-27,2022. To learn more about the event,search the event hashtag #MOSWC on Facebook and Twitter.

About Certiport

Certiport,a Pearson VUE business,is the leading provider of certification exam development,delivery and program management services delivered through an expansive network of over 15,000 Certiport Authorized Testing Centers worldwide. Certiport manages a sophisticated portfolio of leading certification programs including: the official Microsoft Office Specialist certification program,the Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certification program,the Microsoft Certified Educator program,the Adobe®Certified Professional certification program,the Autodesk Certified User certification program,the Intuit certification program,the App Development with Swift certification program,the Unity Certified User certification program,the Communication Skills for Business certification program,the IC3 Digital Literacy certification,and the Entrepreneurship and Small Business certification program. Certiport reliably delivers over three million tests each year throughout the secondary,post-secondary,workforce,and corporate technology markets in 148 countries and 26 languages worldwide. For more information visit www.certiport.com or follow Certiport on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/certiport.

"Certiport" is a registered trademark of NCS Pearson,Inc. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.