Channel Awards 2020 - Distributor Criteria

Below are the criteria for all the distribution categories for the 2020 Channel Awards. Please do read through them before submitting your entry.

Award Name Cloud Distributor of the Year

Eligibility Is this the Award for you?

Distributor Awards

The Distributor Awards will recognise the overall service and support provided to reseller and vendor partners in that area of the market, taking into account product focus and choice, availability and distribution services, pre- and post-sales support, market development assistance and online capabilities.

Cloud Distributor of the Year

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 in 2020, 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 2019 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.

NOTE: The Coronavirus Pandemic has had an impact globally on companies' performances - please do feel free to mention how the crisis has affected your strategy/goals in the UK and how you have innovated around that, but bear in mind we also have special Covid-19 related categories this year ONLY.

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

Eligibility Is this the Award for you?

Distributor Awards

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 2019 and July 2020. 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.

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.

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

Eligibility Is this the Award for you?

Distributor Awards

The Distributor Awards will recognise the overall service and support provided to resellers in that area of the market, taking into account product focus and choice, availability and distribution services, pre- and post-sales support, market development assistance and online capabilities.

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 in 2020. Entrants can either be fully dedicated to Security, or have a Security division within their overall business.

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 2020 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.

Award Name Networking/Comms Distributor of the Year

Eligibility Is this the Award for you?

Distributor Awards

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 in 2020. Entrants can be a full networking/comms specialist or have a division dedicated to networking/comms technology within their overall business.

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 2020 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.

Award Name Technology Incubator Award

Eligibility Is this the Award for you?

Distributor Awards

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 the 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 in 2020 using this technology.

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 2020 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.

Award Name Innovative Project Award

Eligibility Is this the Award for you?

Distributor Awards

Innovative Project Award

Open to distributors who have overseen true innovation in their field over the past year - this can be the launch of a new event 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 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.

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 2020 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.

Award Name: Best Covid-19-related project/initiative of the Year - Distributor - For 2020 ONLY

This has been a year like no other for all of us, and while there has been far too much sadness and tragic loss, the Coronavirus Pandemic has also brought out the best in so many people and companies.

Firms have been forced to innovate like never before, and channel firms have been at the very heart of this innovation - whether it is helping customers shift almost overnight to a full remote working strategy, or being involved in many initiatives that have helped vital organisations such the NHS keep going under immense pressure.

This award is to recognise that innovation and give some much-deserved recognition to those companies that have gone out of their way to help keep this country running during the most challenging conditions we have experienced in living memory. This award is to celebrate that innovation and raise awareness of some of the fantastic initiatives and projects that the channel was involved in during the heart of the crisis.

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 initiative you are entering in this category and explain how it came about during the pandemic. Tell us what the initiative was in as much detail as possible.
Feel free to explain how your company was personally affected by the crisis and how this initiative has not only helped customers, but has also impacted on the company itself.
The personal touch - how did your teams pull together to get this initiative off the ground? How much work went into it and how did they implement it under difficult social distancing conditions?
Testimonial - ask the customer to provide a short explanation of how your initiative has helped them and how vital it has been to helping them serve their own customers.
Any figures/facts you can share to demonstrate the achievements of the initiative will be welcomed by the judges.

Entries can be anything between 400 and 1,000 words - please include as much relevant information as possible and make it as personal as you like.

Award Name: Hero/Heroes of the Year - Distributor - For 2020 ONLY

2020 has been a year like no other for all of us, and while there has been far too much sadness and tragic loss, the Coronavirus Pandemic has brought many stories of human compassion and joy.

The channel has always been a caring environment with people right at the very heart of it, and there are many unsung heroes that just keep giving. Now is the time to recognise them.

This award is aimed at giving some much deserved recognition to those individuals or teams that have gone out of their way to help others during this crisis - this could be in a business capacity - with a company owner/director/team leader/manager helping vulnerable staff put food on the table, working with partners to provide an essential service, or a team working together to provide PPE to local NHS organisations or businesses, or individuals and teams helping their local community in other ways.

While they may be embarrassed - it is crucial that these unsung heroes get the recognition they deserve for their efforts.

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 who/what team you are entering for this award. Please name everyone involved so they get the recognition they deserve. It is perfectly acceptable to nominate a team you are part of.
Explain what they have done and how it came about in as much detail as possible.
Feel free to explain how your company was personally affected by the crisis and how what these heroes has done has not only helped the intended recipients, but how their actions have impacted on the company itself.
Testimonial - feel free to get colleagues and those actually helped by their actions to say a few words about what they have done.

Entries can be anything between 400 and 1,000 words - please include as much relevant information as possible and make it as personal as you like.

DISTRIBUTOR OF THE YEAR:

IMPORTANT: If you make the shortlist in one of the below categories, you will be required to produce further material to show to the judges on or before the official judging day. Normally this is a face-to-face presentation, but depending on how the Covid-19 situation progresses, this could be a five-minute video presentation instead. We will keep you informed as this develops.

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

Distributor Awards

Distributor of the Year - sub £250m turnover

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.

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 2020 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.

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

Distributor Awards

Distributor of the Year

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.

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 2020 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.

To enter the 2020 Channel Awards, click here. The deadline for entries is 10 August 2020.