In a world where digital skills and career-readiness are increasingly vital, Pearson celebrates the talent and dedication of young Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite superstars as we announce the 2025 winners.
The scorching Orlando sun had some competition on its hands for who could shine the brightest last week. Certiport, a Pearson VUE business, hosted the Adobe Certified Professional and Microsoft Office Specialist World Championships. Young people from around the world came to showcase their talents in disciplines like Microsoft Word, Excel® and PowerPoint®; and Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.
Their exceptional skills made for tough competition as they tackled real-world challenges with creativity and flair. Congratulations to our winners and all those who placed!
Celebrating our 2025 Microsoft winners
Microsoft winners celebrate their success
This year’s Microsoft competition included a unique challenge: creating documents for Limbitless Solutions, a non-profit that makes 3D-printed bionic arms. Competitors crafted presentations, training documents, and data visuals to tell the company’s story.
In the Microsoft 365 Apps category, first-place winners were Hai Long Do (Vietnam) in Microsoft Word, Eleni Karakasidou (Greece) in PowerPoint, and In Iat Li (Macao, China) in Excel. And from those competing in the Office 2019 group, taking first-place honours were Tony Jin (USA) in Word, Tsan Ying Wong (Macao, China) in PowerPoint, and Maria Abi Khalil (Lebanon) in Excel.
Hats off to our 2025 Adobe champions
Adobe winners celebrate their success
In the Adobe competition, participants designed elements for Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a non-profit inspiring young innovators. They created posters and social media posts to promote NFTE’s World Series of Innovation, aligning with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Thiago Mello (Brazil) emerged as champion, with Hallie Mitchell (UK) in second, and Veleria Ximena Barreiro Guillen (Ecuador) in third. Their designs showed how creativity can be a powerful tool for driving change. As Gary Gates, Managing Director of Person VUE, said, “This competition truly demonstrates the value of developing critical career skills that give these young people a considerable advantage in their chosen career path.”
Art Valentine, Pearson’s President of Assessment and Qualifications, meets with Team USA
The value of certification
Employers worldwide note a gap between graduates’ skills and job requirements. Certification helps bridge this gap, allowing early job seekers to show they have the verified credentials and real-life experience to hit the ground running.
Pearson’s Lost in Transition research shows that in the US, losses at key transition points costs the economy $1.1 trillion annually. Becoming certified and work-ready can shorten transition times, boosting individual prospects, fulfilling company needs, and benefiting the economy at large.
By offering industry-recognised certifications across leading tech products, Certiport equips learners with demonstrable, in-demand skills for the classroom and workplace.
These championships are more than just contests; they demonstrate what’s possible when young people invest in building vital skills for their futures. It’s a testament to their skill, creativity, and hours of patient practice.
Congratulations to our winners and everyone who took part. We look forward to doing it all again in Anaheim, California, next year!
Tempted to join us? The contestants sum it up in their own words:
- Here are the full lists of Adobe and Microsoft winners
- Learn more about the work we do at Certiport.
- Are you the next world champion? Find out how to enter for 2026.