Most Valuable Professional

What is Microsoft MVP?

MVP is the abbreviation for Most Valuable Professional. Every year, Microsoft recognize few individuals that, for free, share high-quality, real-world technical expertise with Microsoft and community through newsgroups, conferences, forums, networks, user groups, wikis, as well as their own podcasts, articles, Web sites, and blogs.

These “special” people can be teachers, artists, doctors, engineers, as well as technologists passionate about improving and sharing technology. There are MVPs for all Microsoft technologies that are “out” for at least 1 year. For example, there are MVP’s for Xbox, Zune, Exchange, Windows and others.

The MVP Award is valid per 1 year (can be renewed) and it is the way Microsoft thanks all MVP’s.

How can I become one?

Being a MVP is synonymous of sharing information. Potentials MVP’s are nominated by Microsoft, MVP and/or community who have noted their community participation. To receive the Microsoft MVP Award, MVP candidates undergo a rigorous review process. A panel that includes members of the MVP team and Microsoft product groups evaluates each nominee’s technical expertise and voluntary community contributions for the past 12 months. The panel considers the quality, quantity, and level of impact of the MVP candidate’s contributions. Active MVPs receive the same level of scrutiny as other new candidates each year.

What are the benefits?

The following list is the benefits:

• MVP Award Kit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K45hhex-OJw)
• Access the MVP website (http://www.microsoft.com/mvp)
• Private forum
• Access to the MVP Summit (https://www.mvpsummit2010.com/)
• Access to the PG (Project Group) through e-mail, phone, etc.
• Access to Beta and TAP software before anyone else
• MVP Logo
• Access to the MSDN and/or Technet portal
• MVP profile

However, this list has only a few benefits, community and other companies also offer others and sometimes licenses for their products.

But the main benefit is the recognition, copying the master card award, it’s priceless.