Entries are now open for this year’s Partner of The Year Awards which will be announced at Microsoft Inspire in July.

The Partner of the Year Awards acknowledge outstanding successes and innovations by partners across our global ecosystem – recognising achievement in categories spanning solutions areas, industries and across cloud to edge technologies.

All ANZ partners are invited to submit their entries for the Country Partner and the global category Partner of the Year awards, showcasing the region’s entrepreneurial spirit and highlighting your impactful solutions for all customers.

This year, we’re also excited to introduce local ANZ partner awards categories to celebrate partners who have delivered amazing customer outcomes across these five categories:

• ANZ Azure

• ANZ SaaS

• ANZ Modern Work and Security

• ANZ Bizapps and Industry

• ANZ Partner for Purpose

The best bit is, if you’re entering the global Partner of the Year Awards, you don’t have to do anything else. Your entry will automatically be entered into the ANZ Partner Awards and the ANZ Microsoft team will review your global submission for the local ANZ categories too.

Vanessa Sorenson, ANZ Chief Partner Officer, says the awards are an opportunity for local partners to have their hard work recognised as the best in the industry, both globally, and locally as well.

“We are looking forward to seeing the high calibre of solutions our partners have delivered this year. And, with the ANZ award categories, we can now recognise even more partners for their hard work and dedication in delivering exceptional customer outcomes. Seeing the Microsoft Partner ecosystem achieving ground-breaking solutions for their customers is something we’re very proud of and look forward to celebrating every year,” she said.

Entries close 5 April.  For further information about what will create a winning entry, please see here, read the FAQs below to learn more, or contact your PDM.  Registrations to attend Microsoft Inspire will open 10 July via its website here.

FAQs

How do I submit an entry for the ANZ categories?

All entries for the ANZ categories must be submitted through the Microsoft Partner of the Year global submission platform here.  Your entry will be reviewed by the ANZ Microsoft team for the local categories as well as the global team for Partner of the Year.

You can find useful resources, tips and further answers here.

What are the criteria for the ANZ categories?

The criteria for entry to the ANZ Partner Award categories are the same as the global awards.  Full details of the official rules can be found here.

In summary, during this year of transition to the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program, partners will be eligible for the Awards based on a range of criteria.

Nominees must have a current and up to date Microsoft partner membership​, and must have achieved at least one of the following:

• A Solutions Partner designation by January 30, 2023.

• A partner capability score of 50+ towards a Solutions Partner designation by January 30, 2023.

• A legacy Gold or Silver competency as of September 30, 2022.

• An ISV with a co-sell ready offer.

• Participating in the ISV Success Program.

• Social Impact​ Award

• Country Partner Awards – aligned with Partner for Impact categories

This requirement cannot be waived.

If we want to submit for local and global awards how should we? 

Simply submit your entry via the Microsoft Partner of the Year global submission platform here.  By entering the global Partner of the Year Awards, your entry will automatically be entered into the ANZ Partner Awards too.  The ANZ Microsoft team will review your global submission for the local ANZ categories.  You can find useful resources, tips and further answers here.

Why should I enter the 2023 Microsoft Partner of the Year?

Partner of the Year gives partners the opportunity to showcase the innovative solutions they’ve been creating for customers and get the recognition they deserve, both locally and globally. It’s also the only way to enter the local ANZ Partner Awards.

What is the ANZ Partner Awards?

The ANZ Partner Awards is a local competition for Microsoft partners in Australia and New Zealand that aligns with the global Partner of the Year programme.  Like the global competition, the awards are about acknowledging the outstanding successes and innovations by partners across a wide variety of categories and industries. The ANZ Partner Awards are an opportunity to specifically celebrate and shine a light on the incredible work of our partners in the region.

What are the categories?

Each country has a Partner of the Year winner, as well as a number of global categories that ANZ partners could be recognized in. You can find a detailed list of these categories in the Partner of the Year Awards rules here.

For the local ANZ awards, there are five categories which are:

• ANZ Azure

• ANZ SaaS

• ANZ Modern Work and Security

• ANZ Bizapps and industry

• ANZ Partner for purpose

The award categories are different for Partner of the Year, and the ANZ Partner Awards – how do you identify which category my award will go under for ANZ Partner Awards?

We’ll work closely with the ANZ partner team to assess each entry and understand which category it is strongest for.

Can I win more than one category with the same submission?

Yes you can. Your submission for Partner of the Year could see you win in more than one category of the global awards, and the local awards.  You can submit different entries or nominate different solutions for the same category or enter the same solution in different categories (if it is appropriate for the award category). You must meet the requirements for the award category you are submitting for in order to be selected as a winner or finalist.

If I win at the global awards, can I also win in the local awards?

Yes. The AU Partner of the Year, the NZ Partner of the Year, and the global category winners will all be considered alongside the other ANZ partner entries in the ANZ Partner Awards.

Why are you using the Partner of the Year application form to enter the Partner Awards?

We want to make the process as simple as possible for our partners.  By entering the global Partner of the Year Awards, you don’t have to do anything else. Your entry will automatically be reviewed by the ANZ Microsoft team for the local categories.

I only want to enter one category how do I do that?

Just enter the Partner of Year and we will do the rest for you.

How will we find out if we’ve won?

We will notify all winners about their successful entry.

Who should I contact if I have any further questions?

If you have any further questions, please contact your PDM who will be able to provide your organisation with some assistance.