The winners of the 2022 Adobe Certified Professional World 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 9th year, the competition attracted more than 238,000 contestants worldwide to prove their superior digital communications skills using Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Salma Sanchez from the United States won the top prize out of 22 finalists who came together for the final round of the global competition from July 24-27.

The 2022 Adobe Certified Professional World Champions are as follows:

First place, Salma Sanchez, USA
Second place, Manoela Campos, Brazil
Third place, Keavey Gamwell, United Kingdom
Fourth place, Xixillia Sunaryo, Indonesia
Fifth place, Kalin Chervenkov, Bulgaria

Finalists demonstrated their proficiency using industry-leading Adobe Creative Cloud software to design a poster in eight hours for The Ocean Agency, an NGO dedicated to using creativity, technology, and powerful partnerships to raise the awareness and support necessary to help fast-track ocean conservation action.

"All of the entries demonstrated a clear aptitude for design and an incredible artistic flair," said Richard Vevers, Founder and CEO of The Ocean Agency. "We were really impressed by the professional-level work these students accomplished in just eight hours – which proves they can follow client instructions and use both their innate design abilities and the Adobe skills they’ve learned in school to create something amazing and industry-ready."

A panel of judges including The Ocean Agency and design industry experts reviewed the final projects and determined the winners based on visual appeal, their ability to meet the client’s requirements and brand aesthetics, and their professional use of Adobe Creative Cloud applications. The first-place winner received $7,000, Second $3,500, and Third $1,500.

In 2023, Certiport will host the Adobe Certified Professional World Championship in Orlando, Florida, USA.