That winning feeling: What it really means to win a Channel Award

The years of hard work and sacrifice to build a successful company are definitely worth it when it leads to a channel award, according our 2025 winners

The stage is set. The lights are bright. You have waited months to find out the results. The shortlist is up on the screen and……. the presenter calls out your company’s name. You have won!

Hours of work creating the perfect entry to showcase your company’s successes have paid off, and you proudly walk to the stage to collect your award, with cheers echoing all around you.

So how does it actually feel to win a channel award? CRN caught up with a few of our 2025 winners to find out.

Adam Boddy, managing director of Channel Edge, which won Channel Services Provider of the Year (Technical), says the hard work was worth it.

“Simply wow. We have worked so hard to make an impact across the channel and this award was recognition for the great work that the entire team does,” he says.

Gemma Roalf, head of marketing at Vizst Technology, which scooped the Cybersecurity/Data Protection Partner of the Year Award, says the accolade rewards the whole team.

“Honestly – [we felt] a real sense of pride. Not just in winning, but in what it represents for the business and the team behind it all,” she says.

“This award reflects the consistency, expertise and commitment of the entire Vizst team.

“We’ve put a huge amount of focus into building something that genuinely delivers for our customers, especially in security where the stakes are so high.

“Security is a space where trust is earned over time and recognition like this reinforces that what we’re building.

“It also gave me a chance to take a step back and reflect on how far we’ve come, which in our case has been a pretty quick journey!”

Helen Giannelos, content marketing manager at Littlefish, which walked offstage with the MSP of the Year (£10m+) award, pays tribute to the competition.

“It felt really good to be nominated for an award,” she explains.

“We always hope to leave with a win, but with such strong competition in the market, it's important not to be overconfident.

“The award itself recognises all the hard work happening across every aspect of our business, and we felt very honoured and proud to receive it on behalf of everyone involved.”

The winner of the much-coveted Rising Star Award CNNECT, reveals it felt “surreal” on the night.

Joel Berwitz, managing consultant at the firm, says: “We started CNNECT with a clear vision, to do things differently in the partner/reseller space.

“To have that recognised by CRN, in front of people we genuinely respect in the industry, means a lot. There's a lot of hard work and leap-of-faith decisions behind a moment like that and so the overriding feeling was pride.”

One winner had never engaged with a CRN Awards event before but proved that if you submit a good enough entry, you can win on your first attempt.

Laura Trickett, sales and marketing executive at NTA, which won the Specialist Vendor of the Year Award, says they were in shock when their name was read out.

“I was shaking. It is the first time we had done something with CRN and we didn't know what chances we stood, so when the company name was read out it was a shock,” she says.

“I was sat right at the back of the room and it felt like a very long walk both there and back!”

WWCS won Best Sustainability Project/Initiative of the Year on the night in 2025. CEO Marc Lester says the win meant the world for the whole team.

“It was a genuinely proud moment for the whole team,” he explains.

“Walking off stage, the overwhelming feeling was one of validation - recognition of the hard work, consistency and standards the business has been building towards over a number of years.

“It was also a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come as an organisation in the last 30+ years.”

So that is what it truly feels like to win: Validation, reward, shock, pride, honour, plus many more words that sum up the moment you take that coveted trophy in your hands.

Are you keen to win one in 2026? There is still plenty of time left to submit your entry, with the 26 June deadline still over a month away.

With plenty of hints and tips on the dedicated Channel Awards site and a free webinar with our judges and past winners on 19 May, there really is everything you need to start crafting your potentially winning entry.

The very best of luck to you all, and we hope to see you on the night at Battersea Evolution on Thursday 12 November.

Click here to view the categories and criteria and click here to login to craft your winning entries.