At the 2010 Partner Awards Winner’s Lunch held today, Microsoft New Zealand announced the date and new categories for the 2011 Partner Awards.

There will be 10 new categories at this year’s awards, designed to recognise the breadth of work conducted by the companies in the Microsoft Partner Network.

“The technology industry is continually changing with new products and services. It is important to adjust the award categories to represent this, and as a result, this year we will include awards that recognise excellence in developing applications for Windows Azure and Windows Phone just to name two” says Brent Colbert, Director – Partner Group at Microsoft.

“The 2011 event will be the fifth year of the Partner Awards in New Zealand, and we expect to see an increase in the number of entries, even more importantly the number of partners entering the awards should increase as a result of these exciting new award categories.”

The Microsoft New Zealand 2011 Partner Awards dates are currently aligned with the timing of the wider Microsoft Worldwide Partner Awards, giving local award winners the opportunity to compete on the global stage.

Paul Plester, General Manager at Express Data New Zealand, was awarded the Worldwide Distribution Partner of the Year at last year’s Worldwide Partner Awards.

“Heading to the global awards was a fantastic experience, and a great opportunity to get the company brand highlighted on the international stage. Our win at the 2010 awards was a huge boost to the team, and it’s fantastic Microsoft recognises its partners this way. Our win resulted in significant business benefits over the last 12 months and we look forward to entering the 2011 awards.”

Award submissions for the Microsoft New Zealand 2011 Partner Awards will be open from 24 August to 14 October, with finalists announced on Monday 31 October 2011. The New Zealand Partner Awards event will be held at the currently under construction Viaduct Event Centre on Thursday 17 November.