Taiwan and Japan Rise to the Top at APJC NetAcad Riders 2026

From 1,000 learners across the region to three outstanding champions, celebrating the talent shaping the future of networking in APJC.

This year, more than 1,000 learners from across Asia Pacific, Japan, and China stepped into a high-stakes challenge, testing their networking knowledge, technical skills, and problem-solving abilities through the APJC NetAcad Riders 2026 competition.

Designed as an extension of classroom learning, the competition brought together students from the Cisco Networking Academy community in the region, offering them an opportunity to apply their knowledge in a fast-paced, competitive environment. Through a series of online exams and simulation-based challenges using Cisco Packet Tracer, learners demonstrated not only what they know, but how they think, adapt, and perform under pressure.

Classroom Made. Real World Approved.

Open to students currently or recently enrolled in a CCNA, Cisco NetAcad Riders is more than a technical contest. It is a platform that bridges learning with real-world application, encouraging learners to go beyond theory and build practical, job-ready skills.

Participants progressed through multiple stages of the competition, specifically designed to integrate topics from the 3 CCNA modules, beginning with a broad pool of learners across the region.

In the first round, participants were assessed on both theoretical concepts and their real-world application, testing not just knowledge recall, but the ability to think and respond like a working professional. The second round was entirely hands-on. Those who progressed were challenged to troubleshoot network issues they might genuinely face on the job, under time pressure and with no room for error. The top performers from each country advanced through each stage, where the level of difficulty and competition intensified. Only the very best moved forward, culminating in the final stage that determined this year’s three winners.

Throughout, contestants engaged in hands-on networking scenarios, tackled complex configurations, and demonstrated speed, accuracy, and resilience, hallmarks of successful IT professionals.

APJC NetAcad Riders 2026 Winners

After two rounds of rigorous assessment, three learners emerged at the top, distinguished by their technical proficiency, consistency, and ability to perform under pressure.

Meet this year’s champions:

Winner: Tung Lin Hsieh – New Taipei Municipal New Taipei Industrial Vocational High School, Taiwan

1st Runner Up: Daichi Nakayama – Japan Electronics College, Japan

2nd Runner Up: Takaaki Harada – Japan Electronics College, Japan

Each of these winners represents a broader story, of dedication, discipline, and the pursuit of excellence in technology education.

“Cisco NetAcad Riders isn’t just a contest; it’s a high-octane environment where students transform classroom theory into professional-grade troubleshooting. It gives them the confidence to say, ‘I can build and secure a network under pressure,’ which is exactly what employers are looking for in today’s digital economy.

– Ericson Dimaunahan, Instructor, Mapua University

Behind Every Champion, There’s a Great Teacher

Beyond recognition, Cisco NetAcad Riders offers learners meaningful opportunities to grow. Participants gain hands-on experience in a competitive setting, grow their visibility among peers and industry leaders, and leave better prepared for careers in networking and IT. And perhaps just as valuable, learners from diverse backgrounds across the region come together, united by a shared passion for technology and a shared drive to grow.

For many, the experience extends far beyond the competition itself.

“Through the courses, I built my foundation step by step. But it’s in competitions like NetAcad Riders where everything really starts to connect, where you stop seeing technologies as separate pieces and begin to understand how they work together in real scenarios. That’s when your thinking changes, and when you realize what you’re really capable of.”

– Jiamin Lai, APJC NetAcad Riders 2025 Winner

For These Champions, This Is Only the Start

The real engine of Cisco NetAcad Riders has always been the academies and educators across Asia Pacific, Japan, and China. The ones who pushed students to think beyond the textbook and turned curiosity into capability, one lesson at a time.

Every skill a learner brings into the competition was built in a classroom. Every confident decision made under pressure was practiced with an instructor who believed in them first.

That is what we are truly celebrating. Not just the podium, but the journey that made it possible. And that victory belongs to every learner, every instructor, and every academy that made it happen.