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SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – June 22, 2022

Certiport, a ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ VUE business and the leading provider of performance-based IT certification exams that accelerate academic and career opportunities for learners, today announced the winners of the 2022 Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) U.S. National Championship. The champions topped 85 finalists at the live competitive event in Dallas, Texas, and the first-place winners will head to the MOS World Championship in Anaheim, California in late July.

Across the U.S., more than 44,000 students ages 13 to 22 entered one of six competition tracks by submitting a qualified, passing score on the two latest versions of any of the following certification exams: Microsoft Office Specialist Word^®, Microsoft Office Specialist Excel^®, and Microsoft Office Specialist PowerPoint^®. First place winners receive a $3,000 cash prize, second place $1,500 and third place $750.

The MOS U.S. National Champions are as follows:

Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019)

1. Sean Awet, Georgia
2. Jacob Kostenko, Wisconsin
3. Arel Asan, New Jersey

Microsoft Excel (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019)

1. Wendy Zheng, Virginia
2. Carson Mulvey, Florida
3. Phoenix Mitchell, Texas

Microsoft PowerPoint (Microsoft 365 Apps and Office 2019)

1. Tristan Pesqueira, New York
2. Jason Blacher, New York
3. Alejandro Espino-Cebrero, Washington

Microsoft Word (Office 2016)

1. Hunter Liss, Nebraska
2. Justin Henley, Virginia
3. Bria-Amani Adams, Washington DC

Microsoft Excel (Office 2016)

1. Andrew Chuang Saladin, Florida
2. Hailey Tsang, Washington
3. Ben Skorik, Michigan

Microsoft PowerPoint (Office 2016)

1. Benjamin Rands, Idaho
2. Phoenix Rainwater, Texas
3. Emma Denison, Michigan

"It’s been a long two years without being able to host a live MOS Championship event. It’s such a pleasure to be back in person, watching these students show their skills," said Ray Murray, General Manager, Certiport. "These students demonstrated that despite multiple years of academic disruption and online learning, they’ve gained enough skills to confidently compete in a high-pressure environment. Their Microsoft certifications and participation in this competitive event will be the first step to a successful career."

Finalists were given a printed copy of a document, spreadsheet, or presentation to recreate along with printed instructions and digital assets. They were then scored according to the accuracy of the recreation compared to the original. The champions in each program, along with a chaperone, have won a trip to participate in the 2022 MOS World Championship in Anaheim, CA, July 24-27 2022, where they will compete with dozens of other finalists from countries across the globe.

"The MOS U.S. and World Championships give students the incredible opportunity to test their technical skills and knowledge," said Rick Herrmann, Vice President Worldwide Public Sector Education, at Microsoft. "Every student who walks away from this competition is a winner because they’ve earned a globally recognized credential that will propel them to brighter career and educational opportunities. We look forward to seeing how these students leverage their Microsoft Office skills in the future."

You can learn more about the MOS U.S. National Championship . Professional photos of the event can be found here. Links to download winner interviews can be found here.