Becoming a Microsoft Azure MVP was one of the most rewarding milestones in my career. It’s a recognition not just of technical skills, but of contributions to the community. In this post I want to share how I got there.

What Is the MVP Award?

The Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) award is given to technology experts who actively share their knowledge and experience with the community. It’s renewed annually and is not about being a Microsoft employee – it’s about community impact.

There are over 3,000 MVPs worldwide across more than 100 different award categories. I’m recognised in the Microsoft Azure category.

Community Contributions

The MVP program values a variety of contributions:

  • Blogging – writing technical articles that help other developers
  • Speaking – presenting at conferences, meetups, and user groups
  • Open source – contributing to or maintaining projects
  • Online communities – answering questions on Stack Overflow, GitHub Discussions, and Microsoft Q&A
  • Content creation – videos, podcasts, and social media

My Path

My journey started with getting deeply involved in the Azure ecosystem at Medialesson GmbH, where we build enterprise solutions on top of Azure and Microsoft 365.

Over time I started blogging more, speaking at local .NET and Azure meetups, and sharing knowledge through side projects. The devsym.de project – where I build Microsoft Teams apps – also played a big role in demonstrating real-world application of Azure technologies.

Tips for Aspiring MVPs

  1. Start sharing – don’t wait until you feel like an expert. Share what you learn as you learn it.
  2. Be consistent – one blog post a month is better than a burst of activity followed by silence.
  3. Engage with the community – answer questions, participate in discussions, help others.
  4. Focus on quality – a few in-depth articles are worth more than many shallow ones.
  5. Don’t do it for the award – contribute because you genuinely want to help others. The award follows naturally.

What the Award Brings

Beyond the recognition itself, the MVP program gives you:

  • Early access to Microsoft product teams and roadmaps
  • A direct channel to provide feedback to Microsoft
  • A network of incredibly talented peers from around the world
  • Access to the MVP Summit, an annual conference in Redmond

It’s a genuinely special community.