vExpert is a self-nominated award, please create a vExpert account first.

Qualifications for the vExpert Award

To qualify for the vExpert award, you need to be actively sharing your VMware expertise with the community. For the 2025 award, judges will review your content from the previous year, 2024.

Here’s how you can earn the vExpert Award

Activities should be completed outside your day job and must be your original work. Ways to qualify are listed below; some categories are auto-approved, while others depend on the quality and volume of your contributions.

Here are several ways to qualify

Blogging: Write blog posts on VMware products or events like VMware Explore to educate and engage the community.
Code Sharing: Share custom code or tools via websites, apps, VMware {code}, or internal channels.
Enterprise/Internal Influencer: Lead knowledge-sharing sessions within your organization, such as webinars or workshops on VMware solutions.
Event Speaking: Present at VMUG meetings, VMware Explore, or other conferences to inspire and educate peers.
Podcasting: Host or co-host a regular podcast on VMware topics, sharing valuable insights with the community.
Video Content: Create tutorials, product demos, or how-to videos on platforms like YouTube.
Online Forums: Support the community by answering questions on VMTN and VMware-related Reddit threads.
VMUG Leadership Support: Assist your local VMUG chapter’s leadership for award consideration.

Auto-Approve Categories

Book Authors: Published book authors and co-authors from the previous year are auto-approved but must still apply.
VCDX Certification: VCDX certification holders are auto-approved but must still apply.
VMUG Leadership: Active VMUG leaders are auto-approved but must still apply.

If you have questions, reach out to a local vExpert PRO.
Apply for vExpert

Program Introduction

The VMware vExpert program honors individuals worldwide for their notable contributions to the VMware community and ecosystem. It's not a technical certification but a recognition for your community efforts. This individual award lasts for a year, from February to January. Both customer and partner employees are eligible. We assess various community contributions from the past year to select awardees.

How and When To Apply for vExpert

You can update or edit your vExpert application throughout the year, except during the voting period. When the vExpert Application Submission Period opens, it's your chance to finalize your application before the deadline. After the submission period ends, we close applications for voting. For assistance, you can work with a vExpert PRO from your region, available in the vExpert PRO directory. Additionally, it's a good idea to check the vExpert Best Practice Guide for tips on what to include or omit in your application and appeal.

What are Community Contributions?

Community contributions are activities that go beyond your usual job responsibilities and significantly contribute to the VMware Community. These include VMUG leadership or VMUG steering committee, blogging, podcasting, speaking at sessions, hosting webinars, writing or co-writing books or articles, sharing scripts, creating videos, participating in Broadcom Community or other community forums, moderating a Broadcom Community forum, and more. Some vExperts focus on one platform, while others engage in a variety of activities.

Application Submission Periods

You can submit vExpert applications all year, but we review them only twice a year. Each review period starts with a 15 to 30-day application submission phase. This is when you should finalize your application, detailing all your community-related activities as if we don't know you.

There are two chances to apply. The second period allows those who missed the first or didn't get the award to reapply and showcase enhanced community involvement, without waiting a whole year.

Our first submission period starts in December and ends in mid-January. This is your opportunity to complete your application. Once the deadline passes, we close applications and begin voting on the previous year's contributions. The voting takes a few weeks, and then we announce the vExpert award winners. All applicants are notified via email. If necessary, you can appeal within 5 business days of the announcement.

vExpert Program Benefits

• Network with over 1,366 vExperts from 77 countries.
• Opportunity to apply for 12 Official VMware Business Unit lead vExpert sub programs.
• Invite to our private vExpert communication channels.
• Permission to use the vExpert logo on cards, website, etc. for one year.
• Private & technical deep dive webinars with VMware and VMware partners.
• Access to private betas (subject to admission by beta teams).
• 400-day eval licenses for most products for home lab.
• Private pre-launch briefings via our bloggers briefing pre-VMware Explore (subject to admission by product teams).
• Featured in a public vExpert online directory
• Access to vetted VMware & Virtualization content for your social channels through VMware Advocacy.
• Yearly vExpert / community parties at both VMware Explore U.S. Europe events or Gifts for vExperts attending VMware Explore.

Apply for vExpert

The vExpert Program ("Program") is a marketing program designed by VMware to reward community members for evangelizing VMware's products and services. The program has grown to over 1,400 recipients, and VMware wishes to be clear that it may and will exercise its discretion with respect to which individuals may participate in the Program. Our goal is to promote actions consistent with the Program’s mission. Accordingly, we will assess whether an individual may participate in the program based not only on their own activity in evangelizing VMware products and services, but also on the activities of the company (or division within the company) that employs the individual.