Channel Awards 2022 - Distributor Criteria

Have a read through the Distributor Criteria for this year's Channel Awards

Award Name: Cloud Distributor of the Year

This award is open to distributors that have developed a dedicated cloud business either for one particular vendor, or a growing stable of vendors, and are helping resellers either get into cloud services, or further develop their cloud offerings. The ability to aggregate multiple cloud solutions and simplify the confusion surrounding the amount of cloud technology in the market, will also be taken into account. Entrants must prove that they have assisted their reseller and vendor partners to build a profitable business between July 2021 and July 2022, and are really adding value around cloud services.

Entry Criteria: Your entry should be based around the following criteria, which is what the judges will be using as a basis to score each entry. Please do not address each point separately and just base the entry on these points alone -try to add some colour/personality and just incorporate them into your entry as you see fit. Also bear in mind that the judges are accepting PDF or multi-media entries, but at the very least please make sure your entries that are easy to read and digest if in plain text format.

• 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 are actively encouraged to 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 2022 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.

Please read the criteria before submitting your entry. Relevant partner testimonials and supporting materials are welcome but must not exceed the 1,000 maximum word count.

Award Name: 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. Distributors must show how they have helped reseller and vendor partners grow and maintain profitable business between July 2021 and July 2022. 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.

Entry Criteria: Your entry should be based around the following criteria, which is what the judges will be using as a basis to score each entry. Please do not address each point separately and just base the entry on these points alone -try to add some colour/personality and just incorporate them into your entry as you see fit. Also bear in mind that the judges are accepting PDF or multi-media entries, but at the very least please make sure your entries that are easy to read and digest if in plain text format.

• 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. This can include licensing, credit facilities, support, training and logistics.
• 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 are actively encouraged to 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 2022 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.

Please read the criteria before submitting your entry. Relevant partner testimonials and supporting materials are welcome but must not exceed the 1,000 maximum word count.

Award Name: Security Distributor of the Year

The category is aimed at distributors offering cybersecurity solutions, including hardware, software or peripherals within the cybersecurity arena. Entrants must prove how they have assisted their reseller and vendor partners to build a profitable business between July 2021 and July 2022. Entrants can either be fully dedicated to Security, or have a Security division within their overall business.

Entry Criteria: Your entry should be based around the following criteria, which is what the judges will be using as a basis to score each entry. Please do not address each point separately and just base the entry on these points alone -try to add some colour/personality and just incorporate them into your entry as you see fit. Also bear in mind that the judges are accepting PDF or multi-media entries, but at the very least please make sure your entries that are easy to read and digest if in plain text format.

• 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 (using MDF) that has borne fruit for both your reseller and vendor partners?
• Outline any particular Security 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 are actively encouraged to 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 2022 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.

Please read the criteria before submitting your entry. Relevant partner testimonials and supporting materials are welcome but must not exceed the 1,000 maximum word count.

Award Name: 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. Distributors must show how they have helped reseller and vendor partners grow and maintain profitable business between July 2021 and July 2022. Entrants can be a full networking/comms specialist or have a division dedicated to networking/comms technology within their overall business.

Entry Criteria: Your entry should be based around the following criteria, which is what the judges will be using as a basis to score each entry. Please do not address each point separately and just base the entry on these points alone -try to add some colour/personality and just incorporate them into your entry as you see fit. Also bear in mind that the judges are accepting PDF or multi-media entries, but at the very least please make sure your entries that are easy to read and digest if in plain text format.

• 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 (using MDF) 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. This can include licensing, credit facilities, support, training and logistics.
• 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 are actively encouraged to 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 2022 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.

Please read the criteria before submitting your entry. Relevant partner testimonials and supporting materials are welcome but must not exceed the 1,000 maximum word count.

Award Name: Technology Incubator Award

Please do not make this a very technical/technology-based entry - the purpose is to identify a distributor that is outstanding in their field at recognising new technology and openly promoting it to the channel. Those distributors that class themselves as true incubators of technology that is new and disruptive to market. The ability to identify new technology trends and harness them to benefit their business and that of their partners will also be taken into account. Entrants must prove that they have assisted their reseller and vendor partners to build a profitable business between July 2021 and July 2022 using this technology.

Entry Criteria: Your entry should be based around the following criteria, which is what the judges will be using as a basis to score each entry. Please do not address each point separately and just base the entry on these points alone -try to add some colour/personality and just incorporate them into your entry as you see fit. Also bear in mind that the judges are accepting PDF or multi-media entries, but at the very least please make sure your entries that are easy to read and digest if in plain text format.

• Outline why you are entering this category and why your business is classed as a technology incubator. Feel free to provide some examples of the technology that you have brought to market in the past year.
• Describe how that technology has been helped by you to be a success in the UK market. Were you the first to spot it? How did you discover the technology? Why have you invested in it? How does it fit into your portfolio? What successful campaigns have you run with the technology that has borne fruit for both your reseller and vendor partners?
• Do you have examples of outstanding service provision from your teams in this area that have really helped this technology take off? 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 are actively encouraged to 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 2022 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.

Please read the criteria before submitting your entry. Relevant partner testimonials and supporting materials are welcome but must not exceed the 1,000 maximum word count.

Award Name: Innovative Project Award

Open to distributors who have overseen true innovation in their field over the past year (July 2021 - July 2022). This can be the launch of a new event (physical or virtual) that has benefited its partners and customers, a new platform to aggregate/distribute technologies, a new finance scheme, the launch of a new team that has made life easier for partners, an amazing technology marketing project, or anything that can be classed as true innovation in its field. Please focus on ONE project only and tell the judges everything they need to know. Please note there is a separate category for CSR-related projects this year.

Entry Criteria: Your entry should be based around the following criteria, which is what the judges will be using as a basis to score each entry. Please do not address each point separately and just base the entry on these points alone -try to add some colour/personality and just incorporate them into your entry as you see fit. Also bear in mind that the judges are accepting PDF or multi-media entries, but at the very least please make sure your entries that are easy to read and digest if in plain text format.

• Outline why you are entering this category and why you feel your particular project deserves recognition. Please describe what the project is, why you think it is innovative, how it came about and how it works within your business.
• Provide evidence of the value this particular project has provided to both your reseller partners and your vendor partners over the past year - use stats and growth figures to back up points. Why do you stand out from the competition? Have you run any particularly unusual campaigns or events to promote this specific project?
• How have your internal teams contributed to this innovative project - has anyone been particularly outstanding? How have they overcome any challenges? How do they operate?
• Pick a particularly successful reseller or vendor case study demonstrating where your particular innovative project has helped them grow their business/grow their channel presence, supported by figures and testimonials from the chosen partner.

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 campaigns and initiatives must have been new or further developed in 2022 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.

Please read the criteria before submitting your entry. Relevant partner testimonials and supporting materials are welcome but must not exceed the 1,000 maximum word count.

Award Name: Best CSR project of the Year - Distributor - NEW FOR 2022!

This is a brand-new category introduced in 2022 following the success of the best lockdown project category in 2021.

It is aimed at shining a light on the human side of a company by showcasing a particular CSR project that has been worked on during the past year (between July 2021 and July 2022).

We want these entries to be personal, yet fun, and really give some good examples of how IT distributors are making the world a better place, whether this is for their own employees or their wider community.

The reach for this award is deliberately broad to give every company a chance to pick an area of Corporate Social Responsibility that is most relevant to them.

Projects can range from an environmental-based project, for example, to a charity fundraising project that the whole company has been involved in. It can also cover any projects centred around STEM education, mentoring, mental health, and diversity, plus much more.

Following the Coronavirus pandemic, everyone has realised that there is much more to running a business than profit and loss. It is all about people and community, and making a difference.

This award is to recognise the work that so many firms are doing behind the scenes to address the vital issues addressed above (and others) and give some much-deserved recognition to the people and teams behind that crucially important work.

Entry Criteria: 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 project you are entering in this category and explain how it came about. Tell us why this project is so important to your company and your employees.
• Explain the benefits of the project - who it was aimed at, what kind of a difference it has made/is making - get comments from those involved.
• The personal touch - how did your teams pull together to get this project off the ground? How much did they go above and beyond to make it a success?
• Testimonial - ask those who have benefitted to provide a short explanation of how your project has made a difference and why it is so important to them.
• Any figures/facts you can share to demonstrate the achievements of the project will be welcomed by the judges - ie tonnes of carbon offset, money raised, students reached etc.

Entries can be anything between 500 and 1,000 words - please include as much relevant information as possible and make it as personal as you like.

Distributor of the Year Awards - Please note if you are shortlisted, you will be required to attend judging day in person on Thursday 6 October in central London to present your case to the judging panel.

Award Name: Distributor of the Year - sub £250m

This category is encouraged to give the smaller distributors a platform on which to showcase their excellence. It is open to all distributors with a TOTAL turnover of £250m or less that feel they have done a particularly outstanding job over the past 12 months to deserve this prestigious new award. Any distributor, regardless of specialisation or focus is eligible to enter this award. Divisions of larger organisations cannot be entered in this category.

Entry Criteria: Your entry should be based around the following criteria, which is what the judges will be using as a basis to score each entry. Please do not address each point separately and just base the entry on these points alone -try to add some colour/personality and just incorporate them into your entry as you see fit. Also bear in mind that the judges are accepting PDF or multi-media entries, but at the very least please make sure your entries that are easy to read and digest if in plain text format.

• Demonstrate why you feel you qualify for the Distributor of the Year (sub £250m 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?
• 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 are actively encouraged to 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 2022 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.

Please read the criteria before submitting your entry. Relevant partner testimonials and supporting materials are welcome but must not exceed the 1,000 maximum word count.

Award Name: Distributor of the Year (£251m+ turnover)

This category is open to all distributors that feel they have done a particularly outstanding job over the past 12 months that deserves the top accolade at the CRN awards. Any distributor, with a turnover of £251m+, regardless of specialisation or focus, is eligible to enter this award. Please do not enter if you turnover is below £251m.

Entry Criteria: Your entry should be based around the following criteria, which is what the judges will be using as a basis to score each entry. Please do not address each point separately and just base the entry on these points alone -try to add some colour/personality and just incorporate them into your entry as you see fit. Also bear in mind that the judges are accepting PDF or multi-media entries, but at the very least please make sure your entries that are easy to read and digest if in plain text format.

• 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 are actively encouraged to 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 2022 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.

Please read the criteria before submitting your entry. Relevant partner testimonials and supporting materials are welcome but must not exceed the 1,000 maximum word count.

The deadline for entries is Friday 1 July 2022. The awards will take place on Thursday 10 July. Please click here to start your entry.