LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., July 31, 2006 – A five-member team of high school students from Virginia are the winners of the 2006 Canon Envirothon. The winning team was announced on Friday, July 28th, during closing ceremonies of the weeklong North American environmental education competition held at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada.

More than 250 teenagers from 44 U.S. states and eight Canadian provinces studied environmental issues and resource conservation, while competing for a share of more than $90,000 in college scholarships and prizes.

The first place Virginia team received a total of $25,000 in Canon scholarships along with photographic equipment for themselves and for their schools/organizations to use in science education. Pennsylvania ($20,000 and equipment) and Texas ($15,000 and equipment) placed second and third, respectively. The fourth place team, California, received $10,000 and equipment. The fifth place team, Ohio, received $5,000 and equipment. The list of schools/organizations finishing in the top 10 appears at the end of this announcement.

Organized in cooperation with the National Association of Conservation Districts in the U.S. and The Canadian Forestry Association, the Canon Envirothon tests teams on their knowledge of soil/land use, forestry, aquatic ecology, wildlife and natural resources, among other topics. The theme of this year's competition was Water Stewardship in a Changing Climate, and focused on the role water plays in our lives now and in the future, and includes aspects such as water quality, supply, use and allocation, and conservation and management.

"Canon would like to congratulate all of the teams competing in this year's competition,'" said William Reed, senior vice president and general manager, Corporate Communications, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "The dedication and commitment to helping preserve North America's most valuable resources for future generations demonstrated by the teams in the competition has been truly inspiring."

The Canon Envirothon is the culmination of a series of competitions that began during the past school year and involved more than 500,000 teenagers throughout North America. In written tests and oral presentations, five-member teams from schools and organizations compete for the distinction of representing their state or province at the Canon Envirothon.

Each team's knowledge is tested under the supervision of foresters, soil scientists, wildlife specialists and other natural resource professionals. Teamwork, problem solving and presentation skills are evaluated as each team offers a panel of judges an oral presentation containing recommendations for solving the specific challenge that is presented during the competition.

The 2007 competition will be held at Hobart & William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York, July 29th through August 4th, 2007.

Canon Envirothon Press Room: www.envirothon.org Click on 2006 press room for information about the competition and photos of the winning teams.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America and is rated #35 on the BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent holder of technology, ranking second overall in the U.S. in 2005, with global revenues of $31.8 billion. For more information, www.usa.canon.com.