⏰ Don’t Miss Out! Extended Deadline: June 24th
Hey there, innovators! Just a quick heads up — the UC Awards 2025 application deadline has been extended to Tuesday, June 24th, 2025! Time has a sneaky way of slipping by when you’re busy creating brilliant things, so be sure to get your entry in before it’s gone for good.
I know you’re juggling a million priorities right now, but here’s the thing: if you’ve created something that’s genuinely making work better for people, this is your moment to get the recognition it deserves.
You don’t need to have everything perfect—just authentic stories about real impact. Those productivity gains your customers keep talking about? The workflow improvements that made everyone’s day easier? That’s exactly what we want to hear about.
Top Tips to Help You Create the Winning Application!
The difference between winning and being forgotten isn’t about flashy features—it’s about proving your solution genuinely transforms how people work.
1. Lead with Business Impact, Not Features
Judges don’t care about your 47 integrations. They care about results: “Our solution reduced meeting prep time by 73%, saving clients 4.2 hours per employee weekly.”
Your action: List three specific business outcomes with metrics, timelines, and customer validation.
2. Tell Transformation Stories
Show the journey from problem to solution. Paint a vivid before-and-after picture that makes judges think: “I recognize that problem, and this genuinely changes the game.”
Example: Project teams spent 23% of time hunting documents across seven platforms. Our intelligent workspace anticipated user needs, reducing document management time by 67% while boosting project completion rates.
3. Showcase Real Innovation
Innovation solves problems in ways that make users think, “Why didn’t anyone think of this before?” Your AI shouldn’t just transcribe meetings—it should identify action items, assign tasks, and follow up automatically.
Get to know our judging panel—industry veterans who spot genuine innovation instantly.
4. Enhance Human Experience Across All Personas
Address everyone your solution impacts:
- Buying committees: Show how you simplified vendor evaluation and delivered guaranteed ROI
- Contact center agents: Prove 30% efficiency gains while improving satisfaction scores
- IT professionals: Demonstrate zero-downtime migrations and proactive issue resolution
- Frontline workers: Mobile solutions reducing customer wait times by 40%
- Developers: APIs enabling integrations in weeks, not months
5. Prove Sustained ROI
Show value that grows over time. Initial 15% productivity gains becoming 35% after six months. AI systems learning and improving continuously. Management tools evolving from monitoring to predictive intelligence.
In today’s economy, also address:
- Trust: 99.99% uptime, scalable growth, security certifications
- Sustainability: Reduced office space by 35%, cut energy consumption by 28%
- R&D commitment: Quarterly releases, continuous innovation
Your Path to Success
Focus on impact over features, transformation over implementation, and sustained value over momentary gains.
Applications close Friday, June 20th, 2025. Will yours be among the winners announced August 7th that define the future of unified communications?
A Digital Red Carpet for True Innovation
This year’s theme, “Powering Modern Workplace Innovation,” isn’t about distant possibilities—it’s about the tangible, transformative solutions that are making teams more productive, engaged, and connected right now.
With 21 distinct categories, we’re not just acknowledging excellence—we’re mapping the evolving landscape of workplace innovation.
Let’s take a closer look at the categories where your solution could shine brightest.
Core Technology Excellence
Most Innovative Product
The crown jewel for trailblazers. This isn’t about incremental improvements—it’s about revolutionary ideas that fundamentally change how we collaborate. If you’ve developed something that makes users say, “I never knew work could be this seamless,” this category has your name on it.
Best UC Platform
The backbone of modern workplace communication. We’re looking for platforms that seamlessly blend UCaaS capabilities with innovative integrations while delivering bulletproof reliability. Has your solution become the beating heart of enterprise communication? Let’s see how you’re setting new standards.
Global Impact Recognition
This year, we’re recognizing UCaaS excellence across every major region:
Best UCaaS Provider Global
For those juggling the complexity of truly worldwide deployments. If your solution masterfully navigates different regulatory landscapes while maintaining a consistent experience across continents, this is your spotlight.
Best UCaaS Provider Americas
Transforming communication across North and South America requires unique expertise. Show us how you’re revolutionizing regional business communication with cloud innovation that respects local needs.
Best UCaaS Provider EMEA
Europe, Middle East, and Africa present distinct challenges in data sovereignty and compliance. If your solution is elegantly navigating this complex regulatory terrain while delivering stellar experiences, we want to hear your story.
Best UCaaS Provider APAC
The diverse Asia-Pacific region demands adaptability and cultural awareness. This category celebrates providers who’ve mastered the art of UCaaS across emerging and established markets in this dynamic region.
Specialized Innovation Categories
Best CPaaS Provider
The API economy is creating entirely new possibilities for programmable communications. If you’re empowering developers with tools that transform customer and employee engagement through code, this is your moment.
Best Service Management Platform
Managing complex multi-vendor UC environments is one of IT’s greatest challenges. This category recognizes the solutions that turn that complexity into orchestrated simplicity through automation and intelligent monitoring.
Best Compliance Product
In a world of increasing regulatory scrutiny, compliance champions are turning governance from a burden into advantage. Show us how your product helps organizations navigate complex regulations while enabling seamless collaboration.
Best Use of AI
Perhaps the most exciting category this year. From generative AI that supercharges productivity to intelligent agents transforming customer journeys, we’re looking for innovations that set new standards for human-AI collaboration.
Microsoft Teams Ecosystem Excellence
Best Microsoft Teams Solution
For the innovators extending Teams beyond its boundaries through breakthrough applications, plugins, and hardware. Show us how you’re maximizing Microsoft’s ecosystem while delivering exceptional experiences.
Best Microsoft Teams Contact Center Solution
Transforming Teams into a powerful customer experience hub requires specialized expertise. This category celebrates solutions that seamlessly integrate advanced contact center capabilities with Microsoft’s collaboration platform.
Best Microsoft Ecosystem Partner
Beyond individual solutions, this award recognizes partners creating comprehensive value across the Microsoft technology stack—from Teams-certified devices to powerful software applications and plugins.
Customer Experience Innovation
Best Contact Center Solution
For those disrupting customer engagement in the AI era through cutting-edge CCaaS innovation. If you’re pioneering agentic AI, unifying customer data, or empowering agents with predictive tools, this category welcomes your breakthrough.
Workplace Transformation
Best Modern Workplace Product
From AI-powered productivity tools to immersive collaboration platforms, this category celebrates solutions that are fundamentally reinventing how we work in the hybrid era.
Meeting Experience
We’re recognizing excellence across three vital meeting environments:
Best Small Meeting Room Product
Compact spaces present unique challenges. This category celebrates innovations that transform small rooms into powerful collaboration hubs through all-in-one solutions.
Best Medium Meeting Room Product
The workhorse of office collaboration, medium rooms (up to 11 participants) demand specific solutions for equitable hybrid experiences. Show us how you’re creating the perfect balance of technology and usability.
Best Large Meeting Room Product
For expansive spaces hosting 12+ participants, we’re looking for sophisticated multi-camera systems, crystal-clear audio processing, and seamless integration that creates inclusive experiences for everyone.
New Categories for 2025
Best Project Management Solution
A brand-new category celebrating platforms that transform how teams plan, execute, and deliver in today’s hybrid workplace—from AI-powered task automation to virtual collaboration enhancement.
Best Workplace Management Tool
Another exciting addition recognizing solutions that optimize modern workspaces through intelligent scheduling, hotdesking, and integrated management systems that bridge physical and digital environments.
Partner Excellence
Best Partner Enablement Program
The final category celebrates vendors empowering their channel partners through comprehensive programs, sophisticated deployment strategies, and the tools needed to drive mutual success.
Your Innovation Deserves Recognition
What strikes me most about these categories is how they reflect genuine workplace transformation happening right now. These aren’t theoretical concepts—they’re real solutions solving real challenges for organizations worldwide.
The question isn’t whether your innovation belongs in the UC Awards—it’s which category will showcase it best.
Your Roadmap to Success
Ready to dive in? Here’s how to make your mark:
Start with the categories: Browse all 21 categories on our dedicated UC Awards microsite at UCToday.com. Each category has been carefully crafted to reflect today’s UC landscape, from AI-powered collaboration tools to hybrid work solutions.
Download the application form: Get familiar with what judges are looking for. We’ve designed the process to showcase your innovation clearly and compellingly.
Know your judges: Our judging panel includes industry veterans and forward-thinking leaders. Follow them on social media for insights, tips, and inspiration that could give your application the edge.
Mark Your Calendar
- Entries open: Today
- Entries close: June 20, 2025
Don’t let this opportunity slip by. Every week between now and the deadline, I’ll be sharing insights and tips to help you craft an application that truly stands out.
Beyond Awards: Building the Future Together
As we navigate an era where workplace efficiency, team collaboration, and employee experience are paramount, the UC Awards spotlight the innovators who are making it all possible. Your breakthrough solution could be the one that inspires the next wave of workplace transformation.
Ready to join the revolution? Visit the UC Awards 2025 microsite today, explore the categories, and let’s work together to celebrate the innovations that are truly powering modern workplace excellence.
Because the future of work isn’t coming—it’s already here, and it needs to be celebrated.
