From innovative solutions to high-impact services, the 2026 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards recognize and celebrate partner success in delivering meaningful customer outcomes across solution areas, industries, and regions. They’re an opportunity to highlight the exceptional work partners deliver and the many ways you’re driving Frontier Transformation—turning AI ambition into measurable, high-impact business outcomes for customers.
If your organization has delivered transformative solutions on Microsoft platforms over the past year, now’s the time to begin shaping your strongest submission. The nomination window for the 2026 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards opens June 1, 2026, and closes July 7, 2026. Winners will be announced in November 2026, timed to celebrate with the global partner ecosystem at Microsoft Ignite.
Review the 2026 award guidelines and resources linked at the end of this blog to begin preparing your organization’s submission early.
What’s new for 2026
Across the ecosystem, partners continue to advance what’s possible for customers. Some are building innovative solutions and IP. Others are delivering high-impact services that modernize operations, strengthen security, and accelerate adoption at scale using Microsoft technology. The Partner of the Year Awards recognize these achievements and celebrate the breadth of partner innovation, execution, and customer impact.
Award categories highlight how partners are delivering customer outcomes across solution areas and industries. The awards also recognize partners worldwide through the Country and Region Partner of the Year Awards, reflecting the global reach and local impact of partner delivery.
New awards for 2026 include:
- Frontier Transformation: Recognizes partners who innovate with Microsoft AI, spanning Copilot, Foundry, and agent-based solutions, to deliver end-to-end customer transformation and create value through scalable, real-world business impact.
- Commercial Device Channel: Recognizes partners who deliver exceptional impact across commercial device sales motions, driving customer transformation through Copilot+ PCs, AI-powered devices, Windows 11, Surface, and OEM portfolios.
- In addition to updated category awards, a regional award tier recognizes partner impact across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia regions.
Why nominations matter
A strong nomination does more than compete for an award; it helps you clearly articulate your value to customers and Microsoft. By capturing your strongest work, you sharpen how you tell the story, from the customer challenge through the solution, delivery, and outcomes you achieved together.
Finalists and winners gain broader recognition with Microsoft and customers. That recognition can increase credibility with customers, create stronger visibility with Microsoft field teams, and ultimately translate into expanded business opportunities.
How to build a strong submission
The winning submissions rarely come together at the last minute. Use the time before the nomination window opens to align your story, validate the details, and establish a simple internal process so your team can execute quickly once nominations open.
- Choose the category where your story is strongest and most differentiated. Start by reviewing the guidelines, which include details on each award.
- Focus on one flagship customer story or solution motion that clearly demonstrates what’s different about your approach and why it mattered to the customer.
- Document measurable outcomes and results. Strong nominations are grounded in specific proof points, so the key elements of your story should include:
- The customer scenario and the stakes.
- What you delivered and how it was deployed.
- How you used Microsoft technology to drive outcomes.
- Evidence of results, adoption, and business impact (as permitted and approved for sharing).
- Start the process for customer reference approvals early so you don’t lose time later.
- Treat your nomination like a small release. Assign a single owner, identify contributors (delivery, engineering, marketing, customer success), and set internal milestones that land well ahead of the July 7 submission deadline. Build in time for review so your submission is crisp, consistent, and complete.
As you prepare your submission, use the following resources to plan, validate, and submit with confidence:
Review the 2026 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards guidelines and resources now to begin shaping your strongest submission ahead of the nomination window opening on June 1.