MICROSOFT PARTNER OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2021
Updates, resources and links for Inspire POTYA 2021.
Belux Partner Zone
Frequently Asked Questions / Part 3 - POTYA
AlexandraMorais
Do I need to complete a customer-release form?
No, the customer-release form is not required when submitting an award entry. If it is required at a later stage, we will contact you.
Can I submit my award application in languages other than English?
Your award application must be submitted in English, using the awards application tool. However, the solution for which you are applying for an award need not have been localized into English, and your customer may be in any country and speak any language. Note: our judges know this is a global award competition and understand that English is not the primary language of many of the partners nominating. They are asked to take this into consideration during the judging process.
What do winners and finalists receive?
The 2021 Microsoft Partner Network Partner of the Year Award winners and finalists will be celebrated at Microsoft Inspire. Partners who are recognized as finalists and winners will be acknowledged in press releases and will receive a marketing kit (award partner badge, social templates, press templates) with which to promote their accomplishments. This worldwide recognition of excellence identifies winners as a select few who truly stand out in a distinguished, competitive field.
Are there award winners for each country?
The country Partner of the Year Award will be awarded based submissions for that country/region in the award tool (same as global) with one (1) winner per country/region (if that country/region chooses to participate). The rest of the awards are global and recognize one (1) worldwide winner and up to three (3) finalists in each category.
How do we submit nominations to multiple countries?
You can apply directly to any of the country/region awards in which you have a viable solution.
If you are submitting for a category award and also want to nominate for a country or region that you have a viable solution in, you may select up to three countries to associate your nomination with. By selecting a country within a category award, your nomination will also be included in consideration for that country or region award.
What if my solution is not for a specific country?
If the solution in your nomination is global or not associated with a specific country, you can select "N/A" or "Global" in your country selection. Please note that if either of these options is selected, the nomination will not be included in consideration for a Country/Region award.
Do I have to attend Microsoft Inspire to be a finalist or winner?
No, you are not required to attend Microsoft Inspire to be a finalist or winner.
Is any customer information I provide confidential?
If your customer has any proprietary rights in and to the solution you submit, as a condition of being named a winner in this contest, your customer must be willing and able to grant to you and Microsoft the right and permission to feature and otherwise describe the solution in a case study and to use the case study for promotional, editorial, demonstration or any other related purposes.
Tell me more about confidentiality…
Any customer name or customer information you provide in your award submission will not be published immediately. You may be asked to provide a signed customer release from the end customer if you are an award winner and Microsoft would like to possibly produce a case study.
In the award submission process, we recommend that if you have any privacy concerns, you add a note at the bottom of our submission in the nomination form that states confidentiality concerns for this particular award submission. This will flag the Microsoft product teams that are evaluating this nomination and will note the requirement of a release to publicize any customer information.
Will my customer be contacted?
If you have provided customer references, and it is a requirement of the award in the guidelines, award owners/judges may contact these references when making their final decision. Other than that, there will be no contact with your customer.
Can an internal project be nominated, or must it be commercial?
Only commercial solutions, for which you have at least one (1) external customer, may be nominated for an award.
Can I see other partners' entries to assist me with my own?
All entries are confidential, so it is not possible to see entries from other partners. For assistance, refer to these resources:
Guidance from our Judges
How to Write a Great Entry
When will winners and finalists be announced?
The winners and finalists will be announced in early July 2021 on the awards website and at Microsoft Inspire.
Questions? Send an email to the Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards team. Please allow two (2) business days for a response.