Microsoft MVP Program moves to single annual renewal, monthly recognition of new MVPs

Microsoft today took to the MSDN blog to announce that the Microsoft MVP Program will be moving to a single annual renewal, monthly recognition of new MVPs. The announcement comes after members provided feedback, and means members will experience a more unified program with a consistent experience.

According to the announcement, the program was previously based on a four award per year cycle, and this never provided the MVP team with the agility to quickly recognize community leaders and technical experts as Microsoft MVPs. As a result, there were four sub-groups, which caused confusion and a less consistent experience. It is explained:

“…We ended up having four sub-groups.  We hear all the time “I am a January MVP”, or “I am an April MVP”.  That’s not our goal – we want a unified program, providing a consistent experience. To that end, we heard your feedback and that is all about to change. Beginning today, we are going to recognize new MVPs every single month. We want great people to join the program as fast as possible! At the same time, to simplify our re-award process, we are going annual… We know that by nature MVPs love to learn new technologies and skills, often ahead of others. You then process that information and you share.  This is how you truly help the community.

Now that things are annual, there will be just one re-award cycle per year. According to the post, “Every July 1st all renewals will happen with one unified celebration when we recognize all our renewing MVPs.” So, if you’re an MVP, you should be aware that the MVP team will answer your questions MVP Yammer Network. And, if you aspire to become an MVP, you can check out this website.