Get ready for the 2026 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards: Nominations open June 1

The 2026 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards are here to spotlight the remarkable achievements of partners who provide game-changing solutions and impactful services. These awards celebrate how you help drive Frontier Transformation, taking AI ambitions and turning them into significant business outcomes for your customers.

If your organisation has rolled out transformative solutions on Microsoft platforms over the past year, it’s time to start crafting your best submission. The nomination period for the 2026 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards opens on June 1, 2026, and closes on July 7, 2026. Winners will be revealed in November 2026, aligning with Microsoft Ignite to celebrate alongside the global partner community.

To get started on your submission, check out the 2026 award guidelines and resources linked at the end of this article:

What’s New for 2026

Partners in our ecosystem are consistently raising the bar for customer solutions. Some are innovating with cutting-edge solutions and intellectual property, while others are providing high-impact services that enhance operations, boost security, and accelerate widespread adoption using Microsoft technology. The Partner of the Year Awards honour these successes and acknowledge the vast array of partner innovation and customer effects.

The various award categories celebrate how partners deliver meaningful customer outcomes across different solutions and industries. There are also Country and Region Partner of the Year Awards, which recognise partners’ global reach and local achievements.

New Awards for 2026 Include:

• Frontier Transformation: This award recognises partners innovating with Microsoft AI, covering Copilot, Foundry, and agent-driven solutions that lead to comprehensive customer transformations and real, scalable business value.

• Commercial Device Channel: This highlights partners making a significant impact in commercial device sales, driving customer transformation with Copilot+ PCs, AI-enabled devices, Windows 11, Surface, and OEM portfolios.

• Alongside the updated award categories, a regional award tier also acknowledges partner contributions across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia regions.

Why Nominations Are Important

A strong nomination does more than just vie for an award; it also articulates your organisation’s value to both customers and Microsoft. By detailing your best work, you enhance your storytelling from the challenges your customers faced, through the solutions provided, to the outcomes achieved together.

Being a finalist or winner brings wider recognition from Microsoft and customers alike. This acknowledgment can boost your credibility, enhance visibility with Microsoft teams, and ultimately open up more business opportunities.

Tips for a Strong Submission

Winning submissions are typically not thrown together at the last minute. Use the time before the nomination window opens to refine your narrative, confirm the details, and set up a straightforward internal process, ensuring your team can act quickly as nominations open.

1. Select the Best Category that fits your story the best. Begin by looking at the guidelines, which provide insights on each award.
2. Highlight a Key Customer Story that distinctly showcases your unique approach and the significance it had for the customer.
3. Include Measurable Results in your submission. Solid nominations are backed by specific proof points, so ensure your story covers:
   • The customer scenario and its significance.
   • What you provided and how it was implemented.
   • How you leveraged Microsoft technology to achieve results.
   • Concrete evidence of results, usage, and business impact (as allowed and approved for disclosure).
4. Start Customer Reference Approvals Early to avoid delays later on.
5. Consider Your Nomination a Mini-Project. Designate a lead, gather contributors (delivery, engineering, marketing, customer success), and plan internal milestones well before the July 7 deadline. Allow sufficient time for review so that your submission is polished, coherent, and complete.

As you prepare your submission, leverage the following resources for a confident and thorough approach:

• Familiarise yourself with the official rules.

Take a look at the 2026 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards guidelines and resources now to start shaping your best submission ahead of the nomination window that opens on June 1.

You can read this article on the Microsoft Partner Blog.