Students Represent the United Kingdom in Official Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office

Friday 8th August 2008

WAIKOLOA, Hawaii – August 3, 2008

Certiport UK announced that Phillipa Dunlop, 15, from Chislehurst & Sidcup Grammar School in Kent, and Martha Cattell, 15, from Sawtry Community College in Cambridgeshire, are the 2008 United Kingdom Champions for Microsoft® Excel® and Microsoft Word respectively. Both were awarded an all-expense-paid trip to vie for the title “World Champion” of Microsoft Word and Excel during Certiport PATHWAYS™ HAWAII international conference July 31 – August 2 2008. 



Print-quality photos of Phillipa and Martha, along with images from the Gala award ceremony can be previewed and downloaded at: www.flickr.com/photos/certiport/collections/72157606106336544.

Qualifying for the Championship Round of the Competition is no easy feat. Phillipa and Martha —along with more than 56,000 students from 47 countries—participated in multiple rounds of local, national and regional competitions in the Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office from October 2007 to May 2008. The criteria for selecting Country Champions are excellent exam scores and quick completion times. Students who outperformed their peers to make the final round of the Competition generally had perfect or near perfect exam scores and completion times well below the allotted examination time.

After compiling results from the Championship Round, students from Thailand earned the prestigious title of World Champions in Microsoft Word and Excel. Both World Champions were recognized at a Gala ceremony Aug. 2 and received a grand prize technology package worth $6,500 USD. Martha Cattell was a runner-up in Microsoft Word.

Phillipa and Martha travelled 8,000 miles, crossed 11 timezones and experienced the recent Los Angeles earthquake on their journey over. “I am really excited to have had the opportunity to represent my country,” stated Martha Cattell. “Not many people have had the honour to do such a thing”.

“It will create many more pathways when I'm looking for a job and wanting to go to University,” said Phillipa Dunlop. “And I'm also getting a great tan!”.

Martha Cattell receives third prize from Angela Carlson.

Completing its sixth year, the Worldwide Competition on Microsoft Office boasts more than 171,000 students who have vied for the title of World Champion. 

To receive broadcast-quality video footage of the Competition, including the student interviews available through the link above, contact Certiport UK at +44 (0) 203 170 6125 or aburroughs@certiport.com. Details on the 2009 Worldwide Competition are now avaialble, please visit www.officecompetition.com. Please click on the link below to view the World Wide Competition press release.

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