Microsoft have recently announced their Partner of the Year categories – a whopping 59 of them! As we’re sure you know, the Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards acknowledge outstanding achievements and innovations from Microsoft’s global and diverse partner ecosystem and for ease, we have listed below each of the categories below.
For advice on which category to enter, or support in constructing your entry to the Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards, please get in touch with one of our rockstar team. With a track record of a 75% finalist and winners rate, and 11 years of experience under our belt writing award-winning entries, you won’t find an agency better placed to support you on your road to stardom!
Wondering why you should enter the Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards? Check out our blog The Power of the Partner of the Year Awards.
Modern Work Awards
Apps & Solutions for Microsoft Teams
The Modern Workplace Apps & Solutions for Microsoft Teams Partner of the Year Award honours ISVs and SI partners that are building collaborative and innovative applications in Microsoft Teams that help customers advance their digital transformation journeys and get teams to come together to get more done.
Converged Communications
The Converged Communications Teams Phone and/or Meeting Rooms Partner of the Year Award recognizes partners with proven expertise in delivering transformative calling, meeting room, and related device updates. These help customers lower costs and enable hybrid work by modernizing their customers’ calling and meetings infrastructure. Partners positioned to win this award would have created innovative service offerings paired with Microsoft Teams to deliver unique business value. Outstanding nominations demonstrate delivering on a customer’s goals to enable hybrid work while reducing costs. And show how using Teams as a foundation simplifies communication, streamlines business processes, and improves productivity, enabling secure work anytime, anywhere.
Employee Experience
The Microsoft Employee Experience Partner of the Year Award recognizes partners who demonstrate a proven capability to deliver best-in-class Microsoft employee experience solutions supporting customers through their digital transformation journey. Employee Experience solutions should utilize Microsoft Viva Suite, including one or more of the Microsoft Viva Apps – Viva Connections, Viva Engage, Viva Insights, Viva Goals, Viva Topics, or Viva Learning. Partner nominations should highlight the significant impact their solutions have had on customers re-envisioning employee experience and empowering people and teams to grow, to succeed, and to be their best.
Modern Workplace for Frontline Workers
The Modern Workplace for Frontline Workers Partner of the Year Award honours a partner that has seen substantial growth in helping customers transform their workplaces by addressing the needs of the frontline workforce. Frontline workers are the more than two billion people worldwide who work in service- or task-oriented roles across industries such as retail, healthcare, government, hospitality, travel, and manufacturing. Frontline workers form the backbone of many of the world’s largest industries. This workforce represents considerable untapped market opportunities for Microsoft partner solutions to help maximize frontline worker efficiencies, streamline communications, and deepen connections.
Modern Workplace for SMB
The Modern Workplace for SMB Award recognizes a partner that has seen substantial and sustainable growth in helping customers in the small (<25 seats) and midmarket space (25+ seats) to transform their workplaces. Partners positioned to win this award will have created innovative service offerings while engaging directly with customers to deliver business value by leveraging any of the following technologies: Microsoft Teams Essentials, Microsoft Defender for Business, Windows 365, and/or Microsoft 365 Business Premium. ><25 seats) and midmarket space (25+ seats) to transform their workplaces.
Device
The Device Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that demonstrates excellence in building, marketing, or selling devices that champion Microsoft-based solutions and align with annual DPS priorities.
Device Partner Distributor/Reseller
The Device Partner Distributor/Reseller of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing their SMB customers with modern devices and innovative and unique services or solutions based on Microsoft technologies.
Project and Portfolio Management
The Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) Partner of the Year Award, 2023, recognizes a certified PPM partner that has:
- A consistent Microsoft Project marketing engagement with our subsidiary Product Marketing Managers (PMM) and sellers.
- A successful Microsoft Project business practice, with a proven record on implementations, which resulted in large user adoption, and has helped customers achieve their business goals.
- An App which integrates Project for the web features and capabilities, preferably built leveraging Microsoft’s Power Platform products.
Surface Hub Reseller
The Surface Hub Reseller Partner of the Year Award recognizes the Surface Hub reseller that has demonstrated outstanding leadership in delivering Microsoft Hub solutions to our mutual customers.
Surface PC Reseller
The Surface PC Reseller Partner of the Year Award recognizes the Surface PC reseller that has demonstrated outstanding leadership in delivering Microsoft Surface PC device solutions to our mutual customers.
FastTrack Ready
The 2023 Microsoft FastTrack Ready Partner of the Year Award recognizes excellence in assisting claimed customers to realize value through delivery of the FastTrack Benefit for Microsoft 365. As a member of the FastTrack Ready Partner Community, the winner will exemplify the traits of a program partner, from how they engage with Microsoft, through how they execute service delivery with customers.
Security Awards
Security
The Security Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner who is doing an exceptional job of providing customers with end-to-end security solutions (versus one-point solutions) based on Microsoft Security and Identity capabilities in Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Azure Security. Security and Identity are key focus areas for Microsoft, and we want to help drive on-going security for customers, using help from our capable partners.
Compliance
The Compliance Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that has customer success in delivering exceptional outcomes utilizing the technology in the Microsoft Purview and Priva product portfolio and displays expertise in advising customers as they navigate the data protection, risk, regulatory compliance, and privacy challenges of today. Partners who will be considered for this award need to show that they fully embrace the power of our Microsoft Compliance and Privacy products to build solutions and develop go-to-market strategies that deliver long-term customer success.
Modern Endpoint Management
The Modern Endpoint Management Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner with proven expertise in helping customers modernize their endpoint and device management postures while enabling organizations to operate their IT estates with lower cost. This modernization includes deployment of Windows 11, Windows 365, and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, leveraging cloud and hybrid identity management with Azure Active Directory, migrating customers to Windows Autopilot for modern device provisioning, and leveraging Microsoft Intune for device security, compliance, and management.
Business Applications Awards
Dynamics 365 Business Central
The Dynamics 365 Business Central Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that excels at providing innovative and unique customer solutions centered on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Dynamics 365 Service
The Dynamics 365 Service Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that excels at providing innovative and unique customer solutions centered on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service products.
Dynamics 365 Sales & Marketing
The Dynamics 365 Sales & Marketing Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that excels at providing innovative and unique customer solutions centered on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing and/or Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights products.
Dynamics 365 Supply Chain
The Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that excels at providing innovative and unique customer solutions centered on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management and Intelligent Order Management.
Dynamics 365 Finance
The Dynamics 365 Finance Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that excels at providing innovative and unique customer solutions centered on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Project Operations.
Low Code Application Development
The Low Code Application Development Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that excels at providing innovative and unique customer solutions centered on Microsoft Power Apps.
Intelligent Automation
The Intelligent Automation Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that excels at providing innovative and unique customer solutions centered on Microsoft Power Automate.
Business Intelligence
The Business Intelligence Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that excels at providing innovative and unique customer solutions centered on Microsoft Power BI.
Azure Awards
AI, data, and cloud are ushering the next wave of transformative innovations across industries. With Azure AI, our goal is to empower organizations to apply AI across the spectrum of their business to engage customers, empower employees, optimize operations, and transform products. Partners with their in-depth industry knowledge, geographic reach, and implementation expertise are critical in making AI real for businesses.
Analytics
The Analytics Partner of the Year Award recognizes partners that have delivered Azure-based data and analytics solution(s) for their customer(s). Successful candidates will have a co-sell ready offer leveraging one or more of Microsoft’s Azure Analytics services (Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Lake, Power BI, Azure Databricks, Azure Data Factory, Azure Data Explorer) to design, develop, and deploy a production analytics solution providing business value.
Cloud Native App Development
The Cloud Native App Development Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner who has a track record of building new cloud-native apps.
Internet of Things
The Internet of Things Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that has designed, developed, and deployed Internet of Things (IoT) solutions built on Microsoft’s intelligent cloud and intelligent edge innovations (such as Azure IoT, Windows IoT, AKS Edge Essential, Microsoft Defender for IoT, Azure Arc, Azure Digital Twins, Open Source IoT leaf devices and edge devices) with their customers. An Azure IoT solution harnesses signals and untapped data from existing and new devices, unlocking powerful insights and helping businesses take action – to deliver operational efficiencies, to transform business models and to add new revenue streams, for themselves and for their customers. These solutions are helping companies to quickly improve their businesses just by knowing more about their ‘things,’ such as where they are at any given time or predicting maintenance needs to ensure zero downtime – ultimately improving business results and increasing customer value. IoT solutions built on the Windows platform offer intuitive update services for enhanced security, a familiar application environment and the best support for integrated Azure IoT as well as support for Azure IoT Edge.
Migration to Azure
The Migration to Azure Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that excels in delivering outstanding solutions for accelerating customer migration to the cloud.
Mixed Reality
The Mixed Reality Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that has designed, developed, and deployed a solution that helps customers accelerate their digital transformation using mixed reality technology and the Microsoft Cloud.
Modernizing Applications
The Modernizing Applications Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner who has a track record of modernizing customer applications for the cloud.
OSS on Azure
The Open-Source Applications & Infrastructure on Azure Partner of the Year Award will recognize an exceptional partner who excels in delivering outstanding open source-based applications or infrastructure solutions on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.
Rising Azure Technology
The Rising Azure Technology Partner of the Year Award recognizes a technology partner (ISV) that has demonstrated strong customer focus and impact by building on Microsoft Azure as their primary cloud platform and scaling their solution by selling with Microsoft. This award recognizes technology partners without a dedicated Microsoft partner development manager (PDM or PDM-R).
SAP on Azure
The SAP on Azure Partner of the Year Award recognizes partners who has delivered an impactful SAP solution on Microsoft Azure platform for our customers. The winning solution will successfully demonstrate how the customer took advantage of SAP environment on Microsoft Azure platform. An impactful SAP on Azure implementation would articulate:
- Business outcomes identified and achieved by the customer because of the SAP on Azure deployment.
- Any (one or more) extend & Innovate scenarios implemented in conjunction with SAP on Azure implementation – Analytics & AI with Azure Data Services, Process Automation with Power Platform, Productivity with Microsoft Teams integration, Threat Protection with Azure Security solutions.
- Customer achieved cost savings and improved business continuity, high availability & agility.
Industry Awards
Automotive, Mobility & Transportation
The Automotive, Mobility & Transportation Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing innovative and unique services or solutions based on Microsoft technologies to automotive, mobility, and transportation customers, demonstrating thought leadership in their industry.
Defense & Intelligence
The Defense & Intelligence Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing customer mission focused innovative and unique solutions and services based on Microsoft Platforms and Technologies to Defense and Intelligence customers, demonstrating thought leadership in their industry.
Education
The Education Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing innovative and unique services or solutions based on Microsoft technologies to education customers, demonstrating thought leadership in their industry.
Energy & Resources
The Energy & Resources Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing innovative and unique services or solutions based on Microsoft technologies to Energy & Resources companies – which include oil & gas, power & utilities, mining, and resources – demonstrating thought leadership in their industry.
Financial Services
The Financial Services Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing innovative and unique services or solutions based on Microsoft technologies to financial services customers, demonstrating thought leadership in their industry.
Government
The Government Partner of the Year Award recognizes an outstanding partner organization responsible for innovative services or solutions based on Microsoft technologies delivered to customers with a market focus of Public Safety and Justice, Public Finance, Critical Infrastructure, and Public Health and Social Services.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
The Healthcare & Life Sciences Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing innovative healthcare and life sciences services or solutions based on Microsoft cloud technologies, driving customer growth, transformation, and enhanced patient care.
Industrials & Manufacturing
The Industrials & Manufacturing Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing innovative and unique services or solutions based on Microsoft technologies to industrials & manufacturing customers— which include industrial equipment, aerospace, farm equipment, high tech & electronics, semiconductor, chemicals, and agriculture organizations—, demonstrating thought leadership in their industry.
Media & Communications
The Media & Communications Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing innovative and unique services or solutions based on Microsoft technologies to media & communications customers, demonstrating thought leadership in their industry.
Nonprofit
The Nonprofit Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing innovative services or solutions aligned to one of the Microsoft Nonprofit Industry Priority Scenarios: Know your Donors and Supporters, Deliver Effective Programming, Accelerate Mission Outcomes or the Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit; demonstrating thought leadership in their industry.
Retail & Consumer Goods
The Retail & Consumer Goods Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing innovative and unique services or solutions based on Microsoft technologies to retail & consumer goods customers, demonstrating thought leadership in their industry.
Business Transformation Awards
Advisory Services
The Advisory Services Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing high value consulting and advisory services and/or solutions leveraging Microsoft technologies to customers, demonstrating thought leadership in their industry.
Commercial Marketplace
The Commercial Marketplace Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing innovative and unique solutions via Microsoft’s commercial marketplace – either Microsoft AppSource or Azure Marketplace.
Customer Experience
The Customer Experience Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner who is dedicated to building and responding to customer interactions in a way that meets or exceeds customer needs, expectations, and satisfaction.
Global Independent Software Vendor (ISV)
The Global Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Partner of the Year Award recognizes the Microsoft globally managed ISV that has demonstrated strong customer focus and success by partnering deeply with Microsoft on a global scale. The winning partner offers clearly differentiated value and customer experiences by building on Microsoft’s Cloud Platform.
Global System Integrator (GSI)
The Global System Integrator Partner of the Year Award recognizes the Microsoft globally managed GSI that displays strong customer focus and success by partnering deeply with Microsoft on a global scale for unprecedented engagement.
MVP Industry Solutions GSI/Advisory
The MVP Industry Solutions recognizes the Microsoft GSI or Advisory partner for their leadership in driving the development and adoption of industry solutions, closely aligned to the Microsoft Industry Cloud strategy and Industry Priority Scenarios.
GSI Growth Champion
The GSI Growth Champion recognizes the Microsoft GSI or Advisory partner who has clearly demonstrated the most significant growth across multiple Solution Areas/Solution Plays, and/or Industries, and/or Regions. The partner’s solutions are aligned with Microsoft in driving digital innovation and cloud transformation for our joint customers. The Growth Champion will have established a new business offering from ideation through launch to successful implementations, or has taken an established business and delivered leading growth metrics across that existing business.
Indirect Provider
Indirect providers remain key in our vision to build a healthy, world class ecosystem of services partners. The Indirect Provider Partner of the Year Award recognizes partner excellence in empowering customer transformation thru a value based, solution-provider model that reaches resellers at scale to drive usage, consumption, and customer acquisition growth across the partner channel. This award recognizes the investments that they make and how they deliver value to their partners and customers in a predictable and long-term commitment.
Learning
The Learning Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner who has excelled beyond their peers in the delivery of high impact Microsoft training solutions. The winning submission will demonstrate creativity, transformation, innovation in overcoming adversity, and the ability to drive training and adoption of Microsoft Cloud technology.
Microsoft for Start-ups
The Microsoft for start-up’s Partner of the Year Award recognizes a B2B start-up organization that built and launched an innovative and unique solution leveraging Microsoft technology – Azure, Power Apps or Microsoft 365. Additionally, the start-up stands out above the rest in their partnership with Microsoft by demonstrating consistent, high-quality engagements through Founders Hub and demonstrating value to the Microsoft ecosystem.
Solution Assessments
The Solution Assessments Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner that consistently demonstrates their ability to drive Microsoft Solution Assessments that result in outstanding customer outcomes.
Operational Excellence
The Partner Operational Excellence Award recognizes a partner who has excelled in driving superior execution excellence which has resulted in demonstrated digital and business transformation that meets or exceeds customer satisfaction.
Social Impact Awards
Community Response
The Community Response Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that is providing innovative and unique services or solutions based on Microsoft technologies, helping solve challenges faced by communities and making a significant social impact during unprecedented times.
Inclusion Changemaker
The Inclusion Changemaker Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing innovative and unique services or solutions based on Microsoft technologies that help customers solve challenges of diverse representation, economic access, digital inclusion, and/or accessibility. Technology can unlock innovations toward a more inclusive and equitable world, leading to greater innovations for everyone, including the 1+ billion people living with disabilities.
Sustainability Changemaker
The Sustainability Changemaker Partner of the Year Award recognizes a partner organization that excels at providing innovative and unique services or solutions based on Microsoft technologies that help customers solve challenges of sustainable digital transformation.
Country/Region Partner of the Year Awards
The Microsoft Country/Region Partner of the Year Award acknowledges outstanding achievements and innovations from our partners at the country/region level, recognizing partners that have built solutions and services on Microsoft Cloud and platforms and who have had substantial growth in their customer base and/or revenue. These awards celebrate successes and innovations related to cloud technology, entrepreneurial spirit as well as highlighting the great work done by partners in various industries and in driving social impact.
Microsoft’s 2023 Partner of the Year Award Guidelines can be downloaded here, where you’ll find all the information on eligibility and entry criteria.
