The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) World Championship, presented by Certiport, is a global competition that tests students’ skills in Microsoft Office Word, Excel and PowerPoint. After competing in their national championships, the most outstanding students are invited to represent their respective countries in the World Championships.
The national champions in Guatemala were announced on May 4, considered Star Wars Day, and the characters from this film were in charge of accompanying the winners to the main stage.
This celebration of Star Wars or Star Wars fans is commemorated every May 4, because on this calendar day an interesting game of words is formed in English: May the 4th be with you. It would be read “fourth” (fourth, in English, also used to name any day number 4 of the month) and “force”, which have a fairly similar pronunciation.
“May the force be with you” was uttered for the first time in the inaugural film of the saga, Star Wars, Chapter IVreleased in 1977.
But the change of the word “strength” to “four” has its origins in the publication, in 1979, of a message dedicated to Margaret Thatcher. She won the election for Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, becoming the first woman to hold that office.
An article published in the BBC remember that Thatcher took office on May 4, 1979, and on that date her party published a note in the English newspaper London Evening Newsin which he celebrated the beginning of his government with the phrase “May the 4th be with you, Maggie. Congratulations” (“May the 4th be your day, Maggie. Congratulations”).
That article, which at first went unnoticed by film lovers, over time became an emblematic greeting and the origin of various celebrations around the world.
Who are the MOS 2026 national champions?
The MOS is a non-profit project with more than 12 years of experience, which seeks to encourage young Guatemalans between the ages of 13 and 22 to demonstrate their skills. This year 125 students participated.
At the event, the first 10 places in each category were announced. The top three moved to the front, and both the national champion and second place will travel to the United States for the world competition.
Brenda Nova, Multi Country regional director at ETC Ibero-America comments that every year Guatemala’s presence stands out in the world championship, “we have been in the top places in the world competition and we are competing with Asian countries and others that have been preparing for a long time and we have been in the top 10 in the world and that means that we are doing things well,” she says.
For his part, student Douglas Villeda Reyna, one of the winners in the Excel category, explains that he did not expect this result, “I congratulate all the competitors because in the world championship everyone is a winner for being here, we all make an effort and in addition to competing it is also a time to have fun,” he explains, while sharing that the trip includes a trip to Disney. Heidy Cotto, professor of computing at Nuevo Amanecer. He shares that he has been teaching the course for nine years and his greatest wish is for students to prepare for their future through technology.
Professor Byron Ramírez, from the Stella Maris school, in Puerto de San José, Escuintla, shares that they left in the early morning of May 4 to participate in this event. It is the first time that the school has a first place, with the student María José Alvarado, from 4th Baccalaureate who is the national champion in Word 2026.
Adalid Bruno, regional manager for Latin America at Certiport, comments that everyone needs to know technological skills in daily life, “with these bases (of the competition) learning what is next will be easier,” he adds. Invite students to continue preparing each day. The professional shares that his interest in technology began at a very young age, “I am an electronics engineer and they scolded me because I assembled and disassembled devices. Later I had the opportunity to be a teacher and pass on my knowledge and I discovered that the only difference between my students and me is that I learned a little earlier certain knowledge that was shared in the classroom,” he remembers.
Excel
1st. place-Douglas Villeda Reyna, 16 years old, 4th Baccalaureate, Nuevo Amanecer
2nd. place-Andrea de Mata, 17 years old, 4th Baccalaureate, Liceo Javier
PowerPoint
1st. place-Tomás González, 15 years old, 3rd grade, Colegio El Valle
2nd. place-Santiago Dardón, 15 years old, 4th Baccalaureate, Swiss School, Quetzaltenango
words
1st. place-María José Alvarado, 16 years old, 4th Baccalaureate, Stella Maris School, Escuintla
2nd. place-Ian Galindo, 15 years old, 3rd Grade, San José de los Infantes School
When will the Guatemalans compete?
The best students are invited to represent their respective countries, and at the event each student competes for the title of world champion in their category.
MOS 2026 will be held July 26-29, 2026 in Anaheim, California. First place in any of the three programs will receive US$8 thousand, as well as a trophy, medal and certificate.
Second place will receive US$4 thousand, a medal and certificate; while the third will obtain US$2 thousand, a medal and certificate.