The 2025 Channel Awards launch TODAY!

The Oscars of the IT channel are back for another year. As always, some of the categories have changed/evolved following feedback. Find out more below

Life would be very boring if we did the same thing day in, day out.

And that is why the Channel Awards categories are always slightly different every year to stay in line with the ever-changing sands on the channel seabed.

While plenty of the old favourites are still in the mix for 2025, we have revised some categories and introduced a couple of new ones to ensure every company in the channel can be represented and stand an equal chance of winning an award.

What is new?

We have replaced the word ‘reseller’ with ‘partner’ and on one occasion ‘solution provider’ to better reflect the terminology in the industry. Many feel the word reseller is an outdated description, so we have reflected that feedback.

Also in the ‘partner’ section, we have revised the Partner of the Year revenue brackets again to ensure there is a good level of competition among the entrants, and to also hopefully encourage a few new names to enter the mix. All the other categories have remained the same because they received positive feedback and a high level of entry last year.

For all three sections: Reseller, Distributor and Vendor, we have kept the Best DE&I Project/Initiative and Best Sustainability Project/Initiative of the year categories – but we do need support from all parts of the channel or the categories just won’t be able to run. In a year when both focus areas have taken a severe knock due to socio-political reasons – now more than ever, we need to keep these categories going by entering and supporting them.

In the Vendor section CRN has made the most changes. The vendor section is one of the biggest challenges for the awards because it is so competitive, so many new players enter the market each year, and it is impossible to please everyone.

However, because Security is such a huge topic and so fiercely entered each year, we now have TWO vendor security categories this year.

The first, Security Vendor of the Year – will be aimed at the more established security players, and for the first time will require shortlisted entrants to attend judging day and present in front of the judging panel – just like our Vendor of the Year shortlisted firms do. So if you were thinking of entering both, it might be worth bearing that in mind.

We have also launched Rising Star Security Vendor of the Year to give those less established (less than seven years) players a chance to shine in a category of their own.

Another new category is the Vendor Innovation Award – where we will be looking to see examples of true innovation in the vendor community and how that innovation is helping channel partners to grow their business. The emphasis is not on the technology ins and outs, but on the innovation behind the technology, the results it drives, and how the vendor is using it to help their channel partners.

The Distributor section has seen the fewest changes. Well, zero to be precise. All of the categories were well received in 2024, so they are being kept for 2025.

As always, every category has a detailed criteria designed to help make the entry process that little bit easier - please do have a read of them before starting your entries.

For those shortlisted in the following categories - Vendor of the Year, Security Vendor of the Year, Partner of the Year (up to £100m), Partner of the Year (£101m+) Distributor of the Year (£100m - £300m) and Distributor of the Year (£300m+), you will be required to present in front of the judges at the Finalists judging day on Wednesday 1 October in central London.

Finally, it is important to say that the Channel Awards wouldn't have reached 32 years without the unwavering support of the industry, so we wanted to say thank you for that support and for making the awards such an important part of the channel calendar.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask one of the team.

The deadline for entries is FRIDAY 27 June. Please visit the dedicated website here for all entry advice. The very best of luck to you all!