The 2025 CRN Sales and Marketing Awards (SMAs) launch TODAY!

With 25 categories to choose from, there is something for everyone as we celebrate the brilliant people and teams driving our industry forward. It is hard to believe that the time has come already to launch the 2025 Sales and Marketing Awards (SMAs), but entries are now open.

We received extensive feedback on the categories and are pleased to say we have listened and tweaked them accordingly. Please note that the entry deadline is Friday 28 March.

With 25 categories to choose from, including the usual favourites, we have six categories this year to highlight the success of individuals in both the sales AND marketing teams in the form of Sales Star Award and Marketing Star Award in all three sectors: Reseller, Distributor and Vendor. These individual categories were requested by the audience, so we are hoping to see plenty of individual entries in 2025!

The Best Company to Work For awards have stayed the same with the reseller category being split into sub £100m turnover, and £101m+ turnover, to give smaller companies a chance to shine, but also to keep an element of competition.

There is also a slight change in the vendor portion, the Innovative Technology category has changed to the Innovation Award – there was too much emphasis in previous years on the technology feeds and speeds, and we are hoping the title change will encourage vendors to really talk about the innovation behind their technology.

We have kept the Channel Marketing/PR category and also the AI project-related category, but after significant feedback, the Best Recruitment Company award has been replaced with a Services to Channel Sales Award in the hope that we can make it more than a two-horse race. Please do read the full criteria to see who is eligible, but we are confident it will attract some extra attention.

Why should anyone enter these awards?

The short answer is because they are judged independently and were the first of their kind launched to reward sales and marketing excellence in the channel. Many of CRN’s competitors have jumped on the wagon over the past decade, but CRN was the first to recognise the importance of these two crucial functions within channel companies, and the need for a separate awards event.

As always, a full list of categories and criteria are available on the dedicated SMA website [click here]. Please do read through the criteria before starting an entry – it has been specifically created to guide you and help you craft a potentially winning entry with everything that the judges look for and more.

The very best of luck to all and we look forward to celebrating all your achievements. The awards themselves will take place on 26 June at the Marriott Grosvenor Square in central London.