CATEGORIES & CRITERIA


  • Categories are FREE to enter
  • ONE entry PER CATEGORY only. Multiple entries in the same category are not allowed and WILL BE DISQUALIFIED with the judges picking just one entry.
  • Please keep the entry relevant to the UK market and include facts, figures and testimonials to strengthen your entry. Entries that focus on another market outside the UK will be marked down or disqualified.
  • The period covered for the awards entries is between July 2024 and July 2025.
  • CRN reserves the right to move an entry to another category if the judges see fit, and also to drop categories that are not adequately entered.
  • DO NOT go over the 1,000 word count (judges’ discretion does count).
  • WE ARE ACTIVELY ENCOURAGING ALTERNATIVE STYLE ENTRIES to the standard block of text – this can be in the form of a video or PDF to really make your entry stand out. Feel free to use pictures, these do not count towards the word count.
  • Video entries – please do not go over FIVE MINUTES.
  • You can still submit text entries, you won’t be penalised for doing so, but the option is there to be more creative with your entry if you so wish. But please try not to submit just a huge block of text – it makes reading very difficult for the judges.
  • Also do not feel you have to address the criteria in a formulaic manner, you can include them in any order you like and you don’t have to divide the entry into a Q&A style entry either.
  • Entries are actively encouraged to include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All programmes and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify. We are actively encourage you to enter for more than one award if you so wish, and if the category is relevant to the business. But every entry MUST be different.
  • The deadline for entries is Friday 27 June 2025.

Please click 'view criteria' button to view the specific criteria for each category.


Partner Categories

Cloud Services Partner of the Year

This category is open to channel players with a specific focus on providing cloud-based services to their end user customers. This can be in any vertical sector with any relevant cloud technology set, whether it is security, storage, infrastructure, datacentre services or a mix of the above and others. NOTE: Resellers/MSPs entering this category should derive at least 40 per cent of their business from the provision of cloud products and services. Please address this point in your entry. The timeframe covered for this award is between July 2024 and July 2025.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category and convince the judges why your entry should be considered in this category. Are you a true cloud provider? If you have been on a journey to the cloud, or are a born in the cloud player, please include a full but brief outline.
  • Explain your cloud business – the services and products you offer and what customer demographic you serve with your offerings. Please include stats and figures to help set the scene and ensure you meet for criteria cut off point for entry.
  • Provide evidence of the value your cloud offerings provide to your clients over the past year– use stats and growth figures to back up points. Include any investment in new systems/vendor accreditations/services for example. Or if you have made an acquisition to further bolster your offerings, please elaborate. Why do you stand out from the competition in this category? Why are you a valuable partner for vendors in this space?
  • Pick a particularly successful customer case study from the past year and explain to the judges why it was such a success, how your cloud solutions helped that customer save money/streamline their business/improve their service. A customer testimonial must be used to back up the study and again use stats.
  • People – How have you invested in your people to ensure they provide the best possible service to your customers? Do you invest in training to ensure your teams are always up to date with the latest cloud technology?

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Best DE&I project/Initiative of The Year - Partner

A diverse workforce is 70 per cent more likely to capture new markets, and according to stats, 76 per cent of job seekers consider a diverse workforce important when evaluating companies and job offers. Shockingly 68 per cent of companies say a lack of diversity is impacting their business, yet women only make up 26 per cent of the IT workforce and just 0.7 per cent of the IT workforce are black women. In total black people make up roughly eight per cent of employees in tech jobs. These stats become even more bleak when factoring in LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse and disabled people.

While many IT companies are taking huge strides in tackling the gender pay gap and recruiting a more diverse workforce to be accessible for all, there is still a way to go. But the DE&I projects and initiatives already taking place in the industry are impressive and are really making a difference.

This is why we have dedicated a whole new category to this space, to showcase a particular project/initiative that has taken place during the past year (between July 2024 and July 2025). We want these entries to be personal and give some good examples of how resellers are making their work environment a better and more inclusive place to be for all.

An entry can cover internal recruitment or training projects, dedicated DE&I events, any projects around STEM education, mentoring, wider community support projects and much more.

This award is to recognise the work that so many firms are doing behind the scenes to address the vital issues around DE&I, and give some much-deserved recognition to the people and teams behind that crucially important work.

Please use these criteria as a rough guide to shaping your entry – but feel free to make it as personal as possible.

  • Outline what DE&I project/initiative you are entering in this category and explain how it came about, what it entailed. Tell us why this project is so important to your company and your employees.
  • Explain the key goals of the project – who it was aimed at, what kind of a difference it has made/is making, how it has been received both externally and internally.
  • Testimonial – ask those who have benefitted/taken part/been affected to provide a short explanation of how your project has made a difference and why it is so important. Demonstrate the human element of the project/initiative to the judges.
  • Share stats/figures/facts to back up your claims and demonstrate the achievements of the project.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Partner of the Year (up to £100m)

This award is revenue based to give a more diverse range of players in the market a chance to showcase their abilities. The revenue split has been revised again for 2025 based on feedback. The timeframe covered for this award is between July 2024 and July 2025.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and remember to include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of text with no spacing.

  • Demonstrate why you feel you should win the Partner of the Year (up to £25m turnover) award (this can be staff happiness/retention, impressive achievements, vendor accolades etc) and remember to use stats/figures to show growth and back up claims. You must also let the judges know your turnover to qualify.
  • What has your business achieved in the past 12 months that makes it stand out from the competition – this can be either significant revenue growth (both organic and through acquisition), a large number of vendor accreditations in a year, significant amount of major contract wins or just punching above your weight in a challenging economic climate. Use stats and figures.
  • What has been your company’s most impressive achievement this year? Why are you proud of it, how did your people help achieve it? Back up with stats and figures.
  • Pick a particularly successful case study from the past year and explain to the judges why it was such a success and why it should help you win the award. Remember to include stats and testimonials.
  • People – How have you invested in your people to ensure they provide the best possible service to your customers? Do you do anything unusual for your staff that the competition doesn’t?

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Public Sector Partner of the Year

This category is open to VARs/MSPs/resellers that have a strong specialism in the public sector. Customers can range from education to healthcare, from local government to government, and emergency services, plus other public sector-based organisations.

AT LEAST 40 per cent of your business must be public sector-based to qualify for entry. The timeframe covered for this award is between July 2024 and July 2025.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category and convince the judges why your entry should be considered in this category.
  • Set the scene and describe in detail the percentage of your business that is public sector as per requirements, using stats and figures where possible, and explain which part/parts of the public sector you serve and what exactly you specialise in.
  • Provide evidence of the value provided to your public sector clients over the past year– use stats and growth figures to back up points. Include any investment in new systems/vendor accreditations/services for example. Or if you have made an acquisition to further bolster your public sector offerings, please elaborate. Why do you stand out from the competition in this category? Why are you a valuable partner for vendors in this space?
  • Pick a particularly successful public sector customer case study from the past year and explain to the judges why it was such a success, how you helped that customer save money/streamline their business/improve their service. A customer testimonial must be used to back up the study and again use stats.
  • People – How have you invested in your people to ensure they provide the best possible service and expertise to your public sector customers?
  • Company image – describe any marketing activities you undertake to raise awareness of your company to public sector customers, and how you go the extra mile to keep those customers happy.

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2024 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Best Sustainability Project/Initiative of the Year - Partner

With the need to halt global warming fast becoming a number one priority for a growing number of IT businesses, many are looking at ways to follow a more sustainable and ethical business model. Some have made amazing progress already and some are just at the start of their journey, but there is still a long way to go.

Considering the IT industry is responsible for the same level of carbon emissions as the airline industry, we have to collaborate and act now. Not only is this vital for the future of the planet and all its inhabitants, but it is the key to attracting the next generation of workers who are passionate about sustainability.

This category is to showcase a particular sustainability project that a reseller has worked on during the past year (between July 2024 and July 2025). It can be a project involving many customers, or a smaller project with just one customer or indeed an internal project that has really made a huge difference to their overall carbon footprint. We want these entries to be personal and provide some standout examples of how resellers are working to help reduce carbon emissions and guarantee a greener future for our planet.

Projects can range from a newly developed recycling strategy for example to steps taken to reduce emissions, or any environmental/circular economy-related initiative or a project win that has helped a customer implement a greener solution either internally or for their own customers, plus so much more.

This award is to recognise the work that so many firms are doing behind the scenes to address the vital issues around sustainability, and give some much-deserved recognition to the people and teams behind the scenes.

Please use these criteria as a rough guide to shaping your entry – but feel free to make it as personal as possible, including photographs. 

  • Outline what sustainability project/initiative you are entering in this category and how it came about, how long you have been working on it, who is involved etc
  • Explain the benefits of the project –what kind of a difference it has made/is making, please use stats, particularly around carbon offsetting/plastic saved/products recycled etc
  • The personal touch – how did your team pull together to get this project off the ground? How much did they go above and beyond to make it a success?
  • Testimonials - how has your project has made a difference to either a customer/s, or your own internal teams?
  • Share figures/facts to cement the achievements of the project

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

‘Rising Star’ Award

This category is open any reseller/VAR/MSP/Integrator that is seeing phenomenal growth in their field and has been in business for a MAXIMUM of five years and MINIMUM of 18 months in their current form. If you can demonstrate strong growth over the past year (between July 2024 and July 2025), feel you are a disruptive force and can give some example of your potential growth in the future, then you are the ideal candidate for this award.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and include at least one customer/partner testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category, and convince the judges why your entry should be considered in this category – give examples of customer demographics and include some information about your business to set the scene – size, staff, how long company been in business, what exactly you do etc.
  • Provide evidence of your growth over the past year and why you should be considered as ‘one to watch’ in your field – what will you achieve in the coming year and how will you make an impact on the market? Use stats and figures to back up your points. Include any investment in new systems/vendor accreditations/services for example. Or if you have made an acquisition to further bolster your offerings, please elaborate. Why do you stand out from the competition in this category? Why are you a valuable player and a one to watch in this space?
  • Pick a particularly successful case study from the past year that has contributed to your amazing growth and explain to the judges why it was such a success and perhaps what different skills you brought to the table. A customer testimonial must be used to back up the study and again use stats.
  • People – how do you keep your staff happy and motivated? Do you offer anything different from the norm?
  • Company image – describe any marketing activities you undertake to raise awareness of your company to customers, and how you go the extra mile to keep customers happy and ensure you continue to grow.

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2024 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

MSP of the Year

This award is ONLY open to companies that can truly call themselves a managed service provider (MSP). Vendors or support companies DO NOT qualify for this award and will be removed from the category. Business has to consist primarily of managed services TO END USER CUSTOMERS, this can be any or as many of the ‘as-a-service’ disciplines as you like – although bear in mind there are separate cloud and security categories, so non-cloud/security entries will be given priority. Entries can cover managed services to enterprise, mid-market or SMB level customers. We would ask that at least 75 per cent of your business is through managed services to qualify for entry. The timeframe covered for this award is between July 2024 and July 2025.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category and convince the judges why your entry should be considered in this category – explain the managed services part of your business, using figures and stats to demonstrate the size of that business, and ensure it meets the criteria requirements.
  • Provide evidence of the value provided to your customers over the past year through your services – use stats and growth figures to back up points. Include any investment in new systems/vendor accreditations/services for example. Or if you have made an acquisition to further bolster your offerings, please elaborate. Why do you stand out from the competition in this category? Why are you a valuable partner for vendors in this space?
  • Pick a particularly successful corporate customer case study from the past year and explain to the judges why it was such a success, how you helped that customer save money/streamline their business/improve their service to their own customers. A customer testimonial must be used to back up the study and again use stats.
  • People – How have you invested in your people to ensure they provide the best possible services to your customers? Do you invest in training- if so what type and how often?

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Partner of the Year (£101m+ turnover)

We have revised the revenue brackets of this category following feedback to ensure it is a majorly competitive category. It is open to all VARs/MSPs/Integrators with a turnover above £101m+, that feel they have done a particularly outstanding job over the past 12 months (between July 2024 and July 2025). Any IT supplier, regardless of specialisation or focus is eligible to enter this award.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and remember to include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Demonstrate why you feel you qualify for the Reseller of the Year (£250m+ turnover) award (this can be staff happiness/retention, impressive achievements, vendor accolades etc) and remember to use stats/figures to show growth and back up claims.
  • What has your business achieved in the past 12 months that makes it stand out from the competition – this can be either significant revenue growth (both organic and through acquisition), a large number of vendor accreditations in one year, significant amount of major contract wins or just punching above your weight in a challenging economic climate. Again use stats and figures. • What has been your company’s most impressive achievement this year? Why are you proud of it, how did your people help achieve it? Again back up with stats and figures.
  • Pick a particularly successful corporate customer case study from the past year and explain to the judges why it was such a success and why it should help you win the award. Remember to include stats and testimonials.
  • People – How have you invested in your people to ensure they provide the best possible service to your customers? Do you do anything unusual for your staff that the competition doesn’t?

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Cybersecurity/Data Protection Partner of the Year

With security a top concern for end user customers, this category is aimed at VARs/cybersecurity service providers that can demonstrate excellence in cybersecurity services and solutions. This category is open to all VARs/MSSPs/integrators that specialise in cybersecurity solutions and services to customers of any size, whether this is SMB, mid-market or enterprise, or to those that have a strong security flavour to their portfolio of services. The timeframe covered for this award is between July 2024 and July 2025.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and remember to include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category and why you should be considered as a contender for this award. How much of your business is security based? Why is security such a vital part of your service to customers?
  • Provide evidence of the value provided to your customers. Include any investment in new technologies/vendor accreditations/services for example. Or if you have made an acquisition to further bolster your offerings, please elaborate. Why do you stand out from the competition in this category? Why are you a valuable partner for vendors in this space?
  • Pick a particularly successful customer case study from the past year and explain to the judges why it was such a success, how you helped that customer overcome particular security concerns/beat hackers/cybercriminals, or protect against further security breaches. A customer testimonial must be used to back up the study and do use stats.
  • People – How have you invested in your people to ensure they are fully trained to provide the best possible security-based service to your customers? Do you invest in training/team-building exercises to keep your staff happy?
  • Company image – describe any marketing activities you undertake to raise awareness of your company to customers, and how you go the extra mile to keep customers happy/why they keep coming back to you for all their security needs.

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2024 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Vendor Categories

Vendor Channel Team of the Year

The aim of this award is to discover a UK channel-focused team that has gone above and beyond the call of duty over the past year (between July 2024 and July 2025) to ensure its partners are well looked after, listened to and supported. This team will have proved themselves an integral part of the channel and deserves some recognition for their efforts. The most deserving teams will go forward onto the shortlist. 

Entry Criteria: Please use these criteria as a rough guide to shaping your entry – but feel free to make it as personal as possible.

  • Tell us a little about the team - who is on it, how long it has been going, how it operates, how many partners it works with etc feel free to use photos as well.
  • What in particular has the team achieved in the UK channel over the past year to deserve the award? Have they gone above and beyond for partners, shown exceptional levels of commitment to partners for example? Give details.
  • Testimonials – nothing says more than an honest testimonial from a channel partner themselves - get them to tell the judges why your team deserves to win.
  • Share stats/figures/facts to back up your claims and demonstrate the achievements of the team

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Vendor of the Year

PLEASE NOTE: This award will require a PRESENTATION at judging day as well as a written/submitted entry

This category is open to all vendors that feel they have done a particularly outstanding job in the UK channel over the past 12 months (between July 2024 and July 2025) that deserves the top vendor accolade at the CRN awards. Any vendor, regardless of size, specialisation or focus is eligible to enter this award but the entry must be UK focussed.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and remember to include at least one partner testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Demonstrate why you feel you qualify for the Vendor of the Year award – use UK-based stats and examples to show channel business growth, partner acquisition (both reseller and distributor), support and investment made into your channel strategy over the past year.
  • Why do you think you have done a better job than your competitors?
  • What has your channel-facing business achieved in the past 12 months that makes it stand out from the competition? Use UK-based facts, stats and figures to back this up and strengthen your entry.
  • What has been your company’s biggest achievement over the past year in relation to the channel? • What part has your channel-facing team played in this and how is their relationship generally with the channel?
  • Outline a successful UK-based case study (can be either reseller or distributor partnership) from the past year and explain to the judges why it was such a success, and why you think it will help you win this award. A reseller/distributor testimonial can be used to back up the case study.

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Best Sustainability Project/Initiative of the Year - Vendor

With the need to halt global warming becoming a number one priority for a growing number of IT businesses, many are looking at ways to follow a more sustainable and ethical business model. Some have made amazing progress already, but there is still a long way to go.

Considering the IT industry is responsible for the same level of carbon emissions as the airline industry, we have to collaborate and act now. Not only is this vital for the future of the planet and all its inhabitants, but it is the key to attracting the next generation of workers who are passionate about sustainability.

This category is to showcase a particular sustainability project that a vendor has worked on during the past year (between July 2023 and July 2024). It can be a project involving many partners, or a smaller project with just one partner or indeed an internal project that has really made a huge difference to their overall carbon footprint.

We want these entries to be personal and provide some standout examples of how IT vendors are working with partners to help reduce carbon emissions and guarantee a greener future for our planet. Projects can range from a newly developed recycling strategy for example, to any environmental/circular economy-related initiative or a project win that has helped a partner implement a greener solution either internally or for their own customers, plus so much more.

This award is to recognise the work that so many firms are doing behind the scenes to address the vital issues around sustainability, and give some much-deserved recognition to the people and teams behind the scenes.

Please use these criteria as a rough guide to shaping your entry – but feel free to make it as personal as possible, including photographs.

  • Outline what sustainability project/initiative you are entering in this category and how it came about, how long you have been working on it, who is involved etc
  • Explain the benefits of the project –what kind of a difference it has made/is making, please use stats, particularly around carbon offsetting/plastic saved/products recycled etc
  • The personal touch – how did your team and partner/s pull together to get this project off the ground? How much did they go above and beyond to make it a success?
  • Testimonials - how has your project has made a difference to either a customer/s, partner/s or your own internal teams?
  • Share figures/facts to cement the achievements of the project

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Specialist Vendor of the Year

This category is open to vendors that manufacture (and/or market) particular ‘specialist’ offerings. This includes both specialist products which a vendor may develop and/or a service that the vendor may offer. It must be a finished product and/or service, not component i.e. a product or service that a distributor or reseller can stock and/or sell. This will include audio-visual vendors, accessory vendors, printer vendors, internet services, hosting or broadband services, WAN infrastructure and managed services or hosted applications. Please note that because there are cloud services, software, datacentre and security categories as well, preference will be given to entries outside those three areas. Vendors must show that they have helped their UK channel partners grow and build a profitable business in 2024/2025 (between July 2024 and July 2025).

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and remember to include at least one partner testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category, describe your company briefly, your relevance to the category, what the channel means to your business - back up with numbers and stats to show channel growth and the actual percentage of your business that is through partners - and ensure the entry is relevant to the UK market.
  • What changes/enhancements have been made to your channel programme (can be in the form of products, new services and support) in the last 12 months, with evidence of the impact those changes have had on your partners (stats, figures) and describe why your programme stands out from the competition.
  • Describe how you have assisted your channel partners to actively increase their business over the past year – this can be through additional investment, headcount and training – please use facts and figures relevant to the UK market.
  • Outline a successful partner (reseller/VAR/MSP/Integrator) case study from the past year (ie a partner that has seen their business grow as a result of your partnership) and explain to the judges why it was such a success, how you helped that partner succeed and ensure partner testimonials back up the case study.
  • Company ethos – how important is the channel throughout your company, how do you encourage staff to ‘think channel’ and get the best out of your indirect strategy?

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Security Vendor of the Year

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the ferocious competitiveness of the security market, this category will now be a PRESENTATION category at judging day. (written/physical entry still needed to progress to shortlist stage)


This category is for ESTABLISHED security vendors that manufacture/develop software, hardware, systems or peripherals for the security market. Entrants MUST have been in business for a MINIMUM of SEVEN YEARS with an established IT channel. The manufacturers must be able to show that they have helped their UK channel partners to build and grow a profitable business in 2024/2025 (between July 2024 and July 2025).

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and remember to include at least one partner testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category, explain what your company is, your relevance to the category, what the channel means to your business - back up with numbers and stats to show channel growth and the actual percentage of your business that is through partners - and ensure the entry is relevant to the UK market.
  • What changes/enhancements have been made to your channel programme (can be in the form of products, new services and support) in the last 12 months, with evidence of the impact those changes have had on your partners (stats, figures) and describe why your programme stands out from the competition.
  • Describe how you have assisted your channel partners to actively increase their business over the past year – this can be through additional investment, headcount and training – please use facts and figures relevant to the UK market.
  • Outline a successful partner (reseller/VAR/MSP/Integrator) case study from the past year (ie a partner that has seen their business grow as a result of your partnership) and explain to the judges why it was such a success, how you helped that partner succeed and ensure partner testimonials back up the case study.
  • Company ethos – how important is the channel throughout your company, how do you encourage staff to ‘think channel’ and get the best out of your indirect strategy?

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2024 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Best DE&I project/Initiative of The Year - Vendor

A diverse workforce is 70 per cent more likely to capture new markets, and according to stats, 76 per cent of job seekers consider a diverse workforce important when evaluating companies and job offers. Shockingly 68 per cent of companies say a lack of diversity is impacting their business, yet women only make up 26 per cent of the IT workforce and just 0.7 per cent of the IT workforce are black women. In total black people make up roughly eight per cent of employees in tech jobs.

These stats become even more bleak when factoring in LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse and disabled people. While many IT companies are taking huge strides in tackling the gender pay gap and recruiting a more diverse workforce to be accessible for all, there is still a way to go. But the DE&I projects and initiatives already taking place in the industry are impressive and are really making a difference.

This is why we have dedicated a whole new category to this space, to showcase a particular project/initiative that has taken place during the past year (between July 2024 and July 2025). We want these entries to be personal and give some good examples of how IT vendors are making their work environment a better and more inclusive place to be for all.

An entry can cover internal recruitment or training projects, dedicated DE&I events, any projects around STEM education, mentoring, wider community support projects and much more.

This award is to recognise the work that so many firms are doing behind the scenes to address the vital issues around DE&I, and give some much-deserved recognition to the people and teams behind that crucially important work.

Please use these criteria as a rough guide to shaping your entry – but feel free to make it as personal as possible.

  • Outline what DE&I project/initiative you are entering in this category and explain how it came about, what it entailed. Tell us why this project is so important to your company and your employees.
  • Explain the key goals of the project – who it was aimed at, what kind of a difference it has made/is making, how it has been received both externally and internally.
  • Testimonial – ask those who have benefitted/taken part/been affected to provide a short explanation of how your project has made a difference and why it is so important. Demonstrate the human element of the project/initiative to the judges.
  • Share stats/figures/facts to back up your claims and demonstrate the achievements of the project.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Cloud Services Vendor of the Year

This category is open to all cloud services vendors, whether they sell a physical product or a virtual one. This includes cloud-based software manufacturers/developers and providers of any type of cloud service/product TO the channel. The vendors entering must be able to show that they have helped their UK channel partners to build and grow a profitable business in 2024/2025 (between July 2024 and July 2025).

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and remember to include at least one partner testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category, briefly describe your company, your relevance to the category, what the channel means to your business - back up with numbers and stats to show channel growth and the actual percentage of your business that is through partners - and ensure the entry is relevant to the UK market.
  • What changes/enhancements have been made to your channel programme (can be in the form of products, new services and support) in the last 12 months, with evidence of the impact those changes have had on your partners (stats, figures) and describe why your programme stands out from the competition.
  • Describe how you have assisted your channel partners to actively increase their business over the past year – this can be through additional investment, headcount and training – please use facts and figures relevant to the UK market.
  • Outline a successful partner (reseller/VAR/MSP/Integrator) case study from the past year (ie a partner that has seen their business grow as a result of your partnership) and explain to the judges why it was such a success, how you helped that partner succeed and ensure partner testimonials back up the case study.
  • Company ethos – how important is the channel throughout your company, how do you encourage staff to ‘think channel’ and get the best out of your indirect strategy?

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Software Vendor of the Year

The award is open to all vendors that manufacture and sell a software product or who have a software development unit as part of their business. Please do bear in mind that there are separate vendor categories for security and cloud focused vendors, so this category is more of a catch-all for vendors that may specialise in other software such as PSA/RMM, datacentre software, BI, storage, virtualisation, CRM or network management software, plus more. Preference will be given to those vendors who are not eligible for the security or cloud categories. Entrants must be able to show that they have helped their UK channel partners to build and grow a profitable business in 2024/2025 (between July 2024 and July 2025).

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and remember to include at least one partner testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category, explain a bit about your company, what software you specialise in, your relevance to the category, what the channel means to your business - back up with numbers and stats to show channel growth and the actual percentage of your business that is through partners - and ensure the entry is relevant to the UK market.
  • What changes/enhancements have been made to your channel programme (can be in the form of products, new services and support) in the last 12 months, with evidence of the impact those changes have had on your partners (stats, figures) and describe why your programme stands out from the competition.
  • Describe how you have assisted your channel partners to actively increase their business over the past year – this can be through additional investment, headcount and training – please use facts and figures relevant to the UK market.
  • Outline a successful partner (reseller/VAR/MSP/Integrator) case study from the past year (ie a partner that has seen their business grow as a result of your partnership) and explain to the judges why it was such a success, how you helped that partner succeed and ensure partner testimonials back up the case study.
  • Company ethos – how important is the channel throughout your company, how do you encourage staff to ‘think channel’ and get the best out of your indirect strategy?

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

** NEW ** Vendor Innovation Award

Who can enter? Any firm that is defined as a vendor and operates a UK channel strategy - the business must have a significant channel presence in the UK to qualify.

The aim of this award is to celebrate true Innovation in the channel from a vendor – this can be in the form of a revolutionary technology development – AI-based for example, or something that can really help companies save money, or reduce carbon footprints - or a particularly stand out strategy/programme that has really helped UK channel partners grow and build a profitable business in 2024/2025 by allowing them to provide something truly innovative to their own customers. (Timescale for entries is between July 2024 and July 2025). 

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and remember to include at least one partner testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are acceptable. Make sure they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

PLEASE NOTE: Your entry must NOT be used to promote, market or sell a particular product or descend into techie speak, the entry MUST clearly explain why you feel your product or strategy is innovative and how you have helped your channel partners increase their business.

PLEASE NOTE: Your entry must NOT be used to promote, market or sell a particular product or descend into techie speak, the entry MUST clearly explain why you feel your product or strategy is innovative and how you have helped your channel partners increase their business.

  • Briefly explain why you are entering this award and why you feel your entry qualifies as Innovative
  • Tell the judges about the innovation itself – what is it? A product or service or programme/strategy? Why is it innovative? Keep it brief and focus on the business benefits, not the complexity of the technology involved.
  • What benefits has this particular innovative product/service provided for your UK channel partners and their customers in the past year – facts and figures are a must.
  • Why does this particular technology innovation deserve this award? ie because it has made a huge difference to partners’ business, customer take up has been phenomenal etc etc
  • Back up your claims with testimonials from actual channel partners. Get them to explain why they think this particular technology should win.

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

** NEW ** Rising Star Security Vendor of the Year

NOTE: This category has been created to give the newer security vendors a chance to compete. The security category is the most over-subscribed category in the Channel Awards’ history and feedback has deemed it necessary to dedicate a separate category to this vital sector.

This category is open to all security vendors that would class themselves as a relative newcomer to the channel, having worked with channel partners IN THE UK for a MINIMUM of ONE and MAXIMUM of SEVEN years to qualify. The manufacturers must be able to show that they have helped their UK channel partners make a profit in 2024/2025 (between July 2024 and July 2025), and also demonstrate what they think makes them eligible to be classed as a Rising Security Star.

Entry Criteria: Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and remember to include at least one partner testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are acceptable. Make sure they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category, briefly describe your company, your relevance to the category, what the channel means to your business. Explain why you consider yourself a Rising Security Star - back these claims up with stats to show both company and channel growth and the actual percentage of your business that is through partners. Please ensure the entry is relevant to the UK market.
  • Why have you picked the channel as your preferred route to market, and what benefits do you think you can bring your channel partners – can you provide any proof in the form of stats/figures (from the last 12 months?) Why should they go with you rather than the more established security vendors in the market? What do you bring to channel that is fresh, exciting and new?
  • Describe how you have assisted your channel partners to actively increase their business over the past year – this can be through additional investment, headcount and training, or indeed have you seen rapid channel growth this year that has made a difference to your business? – please use facts and figures relevant to the UK market.
  • Outline a successful partner case study from the past year (ie a partner that has seen their business grow as a result of your partnership) and explain to the judges why it was such a success, how you helped that partner succeed and ensure partner testimonials back up the case study.
  • Company ethos – how important is the channel throughout your company, how do you encourage staff to ‘think channel’ and get the best out of your indirect strategy?

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Distributor Categories

Best DE&I project/Initiative of The Year - Distributor

A diverse workforce is 70 per cent more likely to capture new markets, and according to stats, 76 per cent of job seekers consider a diverse workforce important when evaluating companies and job offers.

Shockingly 68 per cent of companies say a lack of diversity is impacting their business, yet women only make up 26 per cent of the IT workforce and just 0.7 per cent of the IT workforce are black women. In total black people make up roughly eight per cent of employees in tech jobs. These stats become even more bleak when factoring in LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse and disabled people.

While many IT companies are taking huge strides in tackling the gender pay gap and recruiting a more diverse workforce to be accessible for all, there is still a way to go. But the DE&I projects and initiatives already taking place in the industry are impressive and are really making a difference. This is why we have dedicated a whole new category to this space, to showcase a particular project/initiative that has taken place during the past year (between July 2024 and July 2025).

We want these entries to be personal and give some good examples of how distributors are making their work environment a better and more inclusive place to be for all. An entry can cover internal recruitment or training/education projects, dedicated DE&I events, any projects around STEM education, mentoring, wider community support projects and much more.

This award is to recognise the work that so many firms are doing behind the scenes to address the vital issues around DE&I, and give some much-deserved recognition to the people and teams behind that crucially important work.

Please use these criteria as a rough guide to shaping your entry – but feel free to make it as personal as possible.

  • Outline what DE&I project/initiative you are entering in this category and explain how it came about, what it entailed. Tell us why this project is so important to your company and your employees.
  • Explain the key goals of the project – who it was aimed at, what kind of a difference it has made/is making, how it has been received both externally and internally.
  • Testimonial – ask those who have benefitted/taken part/been affected to provide a short explanation of how your project has made a difference and why it is so important. Demonstrate the human element of the project/initiative to the judges.
  • Share stats/figures/facts to back up your claims and demonstrate the achievements of the project.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Security Distributor of the Year

The category is aimed at distributors offering cybersecurity solutions, including hardware, software, peripherals or related services within the cybersecurity arena. Entrants must prove how they have assisted their reseller and vendor partners to build a profitable business between July 2024 and July 2025.  Entrants can either be fully dedicated to Security, or have a Security division within their overall business.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category, why you are relevant to this category, and provide stats and figures to describe the size of your business in this category – ie turnover and growth and any investment made in this area of your Security business over the past 12 months.
  • Provide evidence of the value given to both your reseller partners and your vendor partners over the past year – use stats and growth figures to back up points. Why does your business stand out from the competition in this category? What successful campaigns have you run that has borne fruit for both your reseller and vendor partners?
  • Outline any particular Security focused initiatives (events, training, support schemes etc) that you have launched or that you run/develop each year which helps resellers maximise sales and keep their customers happy, but which also appeals to your vendor partners.
  • Do you have examples of outstanding service provision from your teams in this area that show real value-add? How have they overcome any challenges? How do they operate?
  • Pick a particularly successful reseller or vendor case study demonstrating where you have helped them grow their business/grow their channel presence, supported by figures and testimonials from the chosen partner.

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Best Sustainability Project/Initiative of the Year - Distributor

With the need to halt global warming becoming a number one priority for a growing number of IT businesses, many are looking at ways to follow a more sustainable and ethical business model. Some have made amazing progress already, but there is still a long way to go.

Considering the IT industry is responsible for the same level of carbon emissions as the airline industry, we have to collaborate and act now.

Not only is this vital for the future of the planet and all its inhabitants, but it is the key to attracting the next generation of workers who are passionate about sustainability. This category is to showcase a particular sustainability project that a distributor has worked on during the past year (between July 2024 and July 2025). It can be a project involving many partners/customers, or a smaller project with just one partner/customer, or indeed an internal project that has really made a huge difference to their overall carbon footprint. We want these entries to be personal and provide some standout examples of how distributors are working with both their reseller customers and vendor partners to help reduce carbon emissions and guarantee a greener future for our planet.

Projects can range from a newly developed recycling strategy for example, to any environmental/circular economy-related initiative or a project win that has helped a customer implement a greener solution either internally or for their own customers, plus so much more.

This award is to recognise the work that so many firms are doing behind the scenes to address the vital issues around sustainability, and give some much-deserved recognition to the people and teams behind the scenes.

Please use these criteria as a rough guide to shaping your entry – but feel free to make it as personal as possible, including photographs. 

  • Outline what sustainability project/initiative you are entering in this category and how it came about, how long you have been working on it, who is involved etc
  • Explain the benefits of the project –what kind of a difference it has made/is making, please use stats, particularly around carbon offsetting/plastic saved/products recycled etc
  • The personal touch – how did your team and partner/s pull together to get this project off the ground? How much did they go above and beyond to make it a success?
  • Testimonials - how has your project has made a difference to either a customer/s, partner/s or your own internal teams?
  • Share figures/facts to cement the achievements of the project

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Cloud Distributor of the Year

This award is open to distributors that either operate a cloud-based business unit or are fully cloud-based, and are helping resellers either get into cloud services, or further develop their existing cloud offerings. Entrants must prove that they have assisted their reseller and vendor partners to build a profitable business between July 2024 and July 2025, and are really adding value around cloud services.

Entry Criteria: Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category and provide stats and figures to describe the size of your business in this category – ie turnover and growth, and any investment made in this area of your business over the past 12 months.
  • Provide evidence of the value provided to both your reseller partners and your vendor partners over the past year – use stats and growth figures to back up points. Why does your business stand out from the competition in this category? What successful campaigns have you run (using MDF) that has borne fruit for both your reseller and vendor partners?
  • Outline any particular cloud-focused initiatives that you have launched or that you run/develop each year which helps resellers maximise sales and keep their customers happy, but which also appeals to your vendor partners. This can include licensing, credit facilities, support, training, logistics and of course, events.
  • Do you have examples of outstanding service provision from your teams in this area that show real value-add? How have they overcome any challenges? How do they operate?
  • Pick a particularly successful reseller or vendor case study demonstrating where you have helped them grow their business/grow their channel presence, supported by figures and testimonials from the chosen partner.

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2024 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Networking/Comms Distributor of the Year

The award is open to all distributors that operate within the networking/comms marketplace, be that SDN, UC, WiFi, AV, network infrastructure or peripherals and related services. Distributors must show how they have helped reseller and vendor partners grow and maintain profitable business between July 2024 and July 2025. Entrants can be a full networking/comms specialist or have a division dedicated to networking/comms technology within their overall business.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category, why you are relevant to this category and provide stats and figures to describe the size of your business in this category – ie turnover and growth, and any investment made in your datacentre business over the past 12 months.
  • Provide evidence of the value given to both your reseller partners and your vendor partners over the past year – use stats and growth figures to back up points. Why does your business stand out from the competition in this category? What successful campaigns have you run that has borne fruit for both your reseller and vendor partners?
  • Outline any particular datacentre-focused initiatives that you have launched or that you run/develop each year which helps resellers maximise sales and keep their customers happy, but which also appeals to your vendor partners.
  • Do you have examples of outstanding service provision from your teams in this area that show real value-add? How have they overcome any challenges? How do they operate?
  • Pick a particularly successful reseller or vendor case study demonstrating where you have helped them grow their business/grow their channel presence, supported by figures and testimonials from the chosen partner.

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2024 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Storage Distributor of the Year

The award is open to all distributors that operate within the storage marketplace, be that software, hardware or peripherals or cloud-based/datacentre storage and related services. Distributors must show how they have helped reseller and vendor partners grow and maintain profitable business between July 2024 and July 2025. Entrants can be fully dedicated to storage, or have a storage division within their overall business – but this needs to be explained fully in the entry.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category and provide stats and figures to describe the size of your business in this category – ie turnover and growth, and any investment made in this area of your storage business over the past 12 months.
  • Provide evidence of the value provided to both your reseller partners and your vendor partners over the past year – use stats and growth figures to back up points. Why does your business stand out from the competition in this category? What successful campaigns have you run (using MDF) that has borne fruit for both your reseller and vendor partners?
  • Outline any particular storage-focused initiatives that you have launched or that you run/develop each year which helps resellers maximise sales and keep their customers happy, but which also appeals to your vendor partners.
  • Do you have examples of outstanding service provision from your teams in this area that show real value-add? How have they overcome any challenges? How do they operate?
  • Pick a particularly successful reseller or vendor case study demonstrating where you have helped them grow their business/grow their channel presence, supported by figures and testimonials from the chosen partner.

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Distributor of the Year - (less than £100m turnover)

This category will give the ‘smaller’ distribution players in the market a category in their own right to compete on a more level playing field. This category is open to all distributors with turnover up to £100m. Any Distributor, regardless of specialisation or focus is eligible to enter this award. Divisions of larger organisations CANNOT be entered in this category unless they are totally standalone from the parent company.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Demonstrate why you feel you qualify for the Distributor of the Year (less than £100m turnover) Award, use stats and figures to back up your claims and convince the judges you deserve to win.
  • What has your business achieved in the past 12 months that makes it stand out from the competition? ie This can be a mix of initiatives launched to help your customers maximise their business, reorganisation of reseller/vendor facing teams, exceptional service in a difficult or challenging situation, significant expansion of the business through organic or acquisitive growth, or simply punching above your weight in terms of business offerings and most of all results. Back up all claims with stats and figures.
  • What has been your company’s biggest achievement over the past year? Why are you proud of it, how have your people contributed to that and what extra resources did you dedicate to achieving this success?
  • Highlight a case study (can be either reseller partnership or vendor partnership) from the past year (using stats and figures again) and explain to the judges why it was such a success, and why you think it will help you win this award.

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Distributor of the Year - (£100m- £300m turnover)

This category is open to all distributors with between £100m and £300m turnover that feel they have done a particularly outstanding job over the past 12 months. Any distributor, regardless of specialisation or focus is eligible to enter this award. Divisions of larger organisations cannot be entered in this category unless they are totally standalone from the parent company.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Demonstrate why you feel you qualify for the Distributor of the Year (£100m-£300m, turnover) Award, use stats and figures to back up your claims and convince the judges you deserve to win.
  • What has your business achieved in the past 12 months that makes it stand out from the competition? ie This can be a mix of initiatives launched to help your customers maximise their business, reorganisation of reseller/vendor facing teams, exceptional service in a difficult or challenging situation, significant expansion of the business through organic or acquisitive growth, or simply punching above your weight in terms of business offerings and most of all results. Back up all claims with stats and figures.
  • What has been your company’s biggest achievement over the past year? Why are you proud of it, how have your people contributed to that and what extra resources did you dedicate to achieving this success?
  • Highlight a case study (can be either reseller partnership or vendor partnership) from the past year (using stats and figures again) and explain to the judges why it was such a success, and why you think it will help you win this award. A reseller/vendor testimonial can be used to back up the case study.

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Distributor of the Year (£300m+ turnover)

This category has been retained to give those at the very top end of the market their own category to compete in like-for-like. Any distributor, with a turnover of £300m+, regardless of specialisation or focus, is eligible to enter this award.

Please do not enter if you turnover is below £300m.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Demonstrate why you feel you qualify for the Distributor of the Year Award, use stats and figures to back up your claims and convince the judges you deserve to win.
  • What has your business achieved in the past 12 months that makes it stand out from the competition? ie This can be a mix of initiatives launched to help your customers maximise their business, reorganisation of reseller/vendor facing teams, exceptional service in a difficult or challenging situation, significant expansion of the business through organic or acquisitive growth, or simply punching above your weight in terms of business offerings and most of all results. Back up all claims with stats and figures.
  • What has been your company’s biggest achievement over the past year? Why are you proud of it, how have your people contributed to that and what extra resources did you dedicate to achieving this success?
  • Pick a particularly successful case study (can be either reseller partnership or vendor partnership) from the past year (using stats and figures again) and explain to the judges why it was such a success, and why you think it will help you win this award. A reseller/vendor testimonial can be used to back up the case study.

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify. Distributors are actively encouraged to enter for more than one award if they so wish, and if the category is relevant to their business. But every entry MUST be different.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

General Categories

Channel Services Provider of the Year - TECHNICAL

This award is aimed at independent firms (NOT IT VENDORS) that provide a technical service TO the UK channel. IT vendors entering this category will be moved by the judges to a more appropriate category if possible. For this category, we are looking at firms that provide TECHNICAL/TECHNOLOGY-BASED services to the channel ONLY. This can be stock and pricing support, performance analysis, billing and finance packages, tailored apps, plus much more.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and remember to include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category, tell us briefly about your company, your business model and what makes you qualify to be described as a true technical/technology-based channel services provider to the UK channel – use numbers and stats to show growth and the actual percentage of your business that goes through the channel. Also ensure the entry is relevant to the UK market.
  • What new products, services and support have you supplied to the channel in the last 12 months, with evidence of the impact those changes have had on your partners (stats, figures) and describe why your company stands out from the competition.
  • Describe how you have assisted your channel partners to actively increase their business over the past year – this can be through additional investment, headcount and training – please use facts and figures relevant to the UK market.
  • Pick a particularly successful partner (reseller/VAR/MSP/Integrator) case study from the past year (ie a partner that has seen their business grow as a result of your partnership) and explain to the judges why it was such a success, how you helped that partner succeed and ensure partner testimonials back up the case study.
  • Company ethos – how important is the channel throughout your company, how do you encourage staff to ‘think channel’ get the best out of your partnerships?

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Channel Service Provider of the Year - SUPPORT

This award is aimed at independent firms (NOT IT VENDORS) that provide a service TO the UK channel. IT vendors entering this category will be moved by the judges to a more appropriate category if possible. For this category, we are looking for support services around marketing, training, PR, recruitment, product/price sourcing and finance that have been provided over the past year (July 2024 – July 2025) – NOT TECHNICAL SERVICES – there is a whole category for that.

Use the below criteria as a guide on what to include in your entry. Try to add some colour/personality and remember to include at least one customer testimonial. Multi-media or PDF entries are encouraged, but plain text entries are accepted as long as they are well spaced and easy to read. Please do not just copy and paste blocks of corporate text with no spacing.

  • Outline why you are entering this category, tell us briefly about your company, your business model and what makes you qualify to be described as a true channel support services provider to the UK channel – use numbers and stats to show growth and the actual percentage of your business that goes through the channel. Also ensure the entry is relevant to the UK market.
  • What new services and support have you supplied to the channel in the last 12 months, with evidence of the impact those changes have had on your partners (stats, figures) and describe why your company stands out from the competition.
  • Describe how you have assisted your channel partners to actively increase their business over the past year – this can be through additional investment, headcount and training – please use facts and figures relevant to the UK market.
  • Pick a particularly successful partner case study from the past year (ie a partner that has seen their business grow as a result of your partnership) and explain to the judges why it was such a success, how you helped that partner succeed.
  • Include a partner testimonial.
  • Company ethos – how important is the channel throughout your company, how do you encourage staff to ‘think channel’ get the best out of your partnerships?

Entries MUST include hard facts and figures – all of which will be kept strictly confidential and used for judging purposes only. All campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2025 to qualify.

Maximum word count: 1,000 or FIVE MINUTES for videos.

Channel Achievement Award

This award is made solely by the Editorial team of CRN and do not involve the judging panel. But any suggestions on someone who has made a significant contribution to the industry over the past 32 years would be welcomed!
This category is now closed