KENNESAW, Ga. - August 9, 2004 – Heidelberg USA will honor the winners of the SkillsUSA Competition in Graphic Communications, an annual trade skills competition held in Kansas City, Mo., and their teachers with scholarships, use of new Heidelberg equipment, and a trip to the 2004 Graph Expo and Converting Expo trade show in Chicago. Heidelberg has been a sponsor of the event since 1999, and this year’s winning students are from secondary and postsecondary schools. Winners Azariah Cornish and Meghan Boyle, along with their instructors, will be the featured guests at the annual Heidelberg SkillsUSA dinner to be held during Graph Expo on Sunday, Oct. 10. As part of the winner’s package, Heidelberg will also install a new Printmaster QM 46 two color press in each of the schools Boyle and Cornish were enrolled in at the time of the competition. Heidelberg hopes the installation will encourage more students at each school to become interested in the field. Use of the equipment is also to reward existing students and teachers currently involved in the program with the opportunity to work on the latest printing systems. Each winner will also receive a prize package from Heidelberg that includes a $1,000 scholarship, the trip to Graph Expo, design and printing software, a printing and graphics guide, and a host of Industry sponsored gifts to help students with their studies. Both students excelled in the live competition to secure first place because of their overall knowledge in each of the applications and process. The competition tested their abilities in every aspect of printing including pre-press design, computer-to-plate, press operation and finishing. Cornish and Boyle were also judged on their knowledge of real world applications, which are designed to test and prepare students for work found in today’s print shop. Cornish, a recent graduate at the Autry Technology Center in Enid, Okla., plans to attend a major engineering university after completing one year of work in the field. He currently works for a local print shop in type setting and bindery, in addition to designing and creating layouts for several sections of the local paper. “For me, the best part of the week [of competition] was getting to meet so many people from around the country who have many of the same interests that I do,” said Cornish. “The competition was very competitive and much more difficult than I thought it was going to be. I feel honored and pleased to have won.” Boyle is a student of Kimball High School in Royal Oak, Mich., and was this year’s Postsecondary Division winner. She was awarded first place because of her outstanding performance and high marks in each of the different tests. The SkillsUSA Competition in Graphic Communications is a multi-million dollar event that occupies a space equivalent to 11 football fields. In 2004, more than 4,500 contestants participated in 77 separate events. Nearly 1,500 judges and contest organizers from labor and management make the national event possible. “Heidelberg is committed to the education of today’s students,” said Larry Kroll, vice president of print media relations. “We believe that it is important to support events like the SkillsUSA competition because the knowledge and expertise the contestants learn will help shape the future of the industry.”