Kennesaw, Georgia - Heidelberg honored the winners of the 36th Annual Skills USA Championships in Graphic Communications at Graph Expo. The schools the champions attended were each awarded the complimentary use of a Heidelberg press. High school gold medallist Justin Green, from Asheville High School in North Carolina, visited the show with his graphics teacher, Michael Davis. And post-secondary winner Will Davis toured the Heidelberg booth with his printing technology instructor, Shirley Byrd from the William D. Ford Career/Technical Center in Westland, Michigan. Both schools are receiving a complimentary one-year lease on a Printmaster QM 46, similar to the one exhibited at Graph Expo. SkillsUSA-VICA is the national organization for students in trade, industrial, technical and health occupations education. It sponsors the Skills USA Championships annually to recognize the achievements of vocational students and to encourage them to excel. The graphic arts contest consisted of four parts: layout and design, film image assembly, offset press operation, and a written test to demonstrate the ability to solve common graphic communication issues. Heidelberg donated the use of eight Printmaster QM 46 presses and appropriate technical support for the offset printed portion of the competition, as well as providing the prizes to the winners. "Donating the use of a press to the winning institutions provides a strong incentive for these schools to compete in future Skills USA championships," notes Larry Kroll, Vice President of Training and Consulting at Heidelberg USA. "Once the one-year lease is up, we give the schools a special price so they can afford to keep the press as a training tool. It's important that these students have access to up-to-date equipment and this competition helps them get the most from their budgets. With our equipment in their labs, they can make sure the learning occurs in a real-world environment."