2007 Microsoft Partner Program Awards – Apply today, including in the Small Business Specialist Category!

  • Article

WPC Partner Awards

· Overview

· Rules

· Categories

· Partner Solution Profiler Requirement

· Submission Tool

 

Each year, via the Worldwide Partner Conference Awards program , Microsoft recognizes partners who have delivered exemplary solutions built on Microsoft technologies.

 

This is a global program - a unique opportunity for Microsoft Partners to showcase their outstanding solutions and to earn recognition before their peers and customers. In 2006, there were over 2,300 entries, which were evaluated by more than 300 Microsoft judges.

 

Finalists in the 2007 program will be announced on June 12th, 2007. Winners will be announced and recognized onstage with Microsoft executives at a special dinner ceremony at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference on the evening of July 11th, 2007.

 

Why you should apply for an award
Award winners and finalists benefit from increased press coverage and market recognition. Winning a global WPC award sets your company apart from your competition and may drive new business opportunities. Specific benefits:

  • Winners will go onstage to receive a trophy at the awards ceremony, and there will be photo opportunities with Microsoft executives.
  • Finalists will receive a plaque (which will be shipped after the ceremony).
  • Both winners and finalists will receive customized logos and web banners with which they can identify themselves as belonging to this elite class of partners. These logos will also be displayed next to their solution profile in Microsoft Solution Finder, a public online directory that enables customers to find Microsoft partners’ solutions.
  • Both winners and finalists will also receive customized PR and advertising templates which they can use to promote their success. (These logos and marketing materials will be available to winners and finalists via download from the Microsoft Logo Builder tool.)
  • Winners of the five "Competing to Win Partner of the Year" awards will each receive a $10,000 cash prize if they consent to participate in a case study. (There are no cash prizes for other award categories.)
  • Both winners and finalists will be invited to an Awards Finalists strategy luncheon at WPC designed to provide access to Microsoft executives in specific areas of business focus, and to strengthen relationships with Microsoft Business Groups.
  • When available, a Microsoft executive may invite a winner and finalist to a private 1:1 meetings at WPC. Winners and finalists will be invited to these meetings beginning June 14th 2007.

Entry Procedure
Partners may nominate their solutions using a Microsoft web-based Awards submission tool that can be found here  https://mspartnerawards.com and also on the left navigation pane of this web page. Logging in to the Awards tool requires using Passport credentials.

 

Partner entries will be accepted via this tool between March 1st and March 23rd, 2007. (The awards tool will only be accessible between those dates.)

 

A key requirement, new this year, is that partners may only nominate for a WPC Award solutions that have been entered into Microsoft’s Partner Solution Profiler. More on this below.

 

Entry requirement: Active in a Competency
Most WPC award categories are associated with Microsoft Competencies and specializations. To apply for an award in these categories partners must be active in the associated Competency and specialization.

There are three exceptions: being active in a Competency is not a requirement for

  • Small Business Specialist category (to apply for this award, however, partners must be actively enrolled in the Microsoft Small Business Specialist Community)
  • Competing To Win category (this category is open to all partners and invites partners to submit solutions which they have used to displace several specific competitors)
  • Citizenship Partner of the Year category. This category, unlike other categories, is not solution-based. This award is open to all partners. The goal of this award is to recognize the innovative way partners have empowered underserved communities by giving access to technology or technology skills training.

Entry requirement: Solution in Partner Solution Profiler
This year partners may only nominate a solution for a WPC Award if it has first been entered into Partner Solution Profiler. Entering your outstanding solution into Partner Solution Profiler immediately rewards you by placing your solution in front of approximately 60,000 customers per month via Microsoft.com websites. When you profile your solution customers can find you worldwide.

 

Completing this WPC Award requirement automatically places your business solution in our online directories located on over 50 customer-facing Microsoft.com websites worldwide.

 

(The Citizenship Partner of the Year award is an exception to this requirement – no Solution Profile entry is required for this award.)

 

To access Microsoft Partner Solution Profiler click here (requires you to log in with your Passport credentials).

 

Further assistance
Please review the help pages that are in the Awards submission tool - answers to many common questions about the WPC Awards program may be found there. If you have questions about creating a Partner Solution Profiler entry, support phone numbers may be found here. For any other questions please email us at WPCAward@microsoft.com.

 

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft US Senior Manager
Small Business Community Engagement
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights