It’s Never Too Late to Become a vExpert!

If you’re looking at the calendar and thinking ‘I didn’t do enough this year,’ you might feel it’s too late to start contributing to the community. It’s never too late to become a vExpert, and let me explain. If you start today on one or some of the activities described later in this article, you can still build a strong application for the 2026 vExpert program. For example, writing 3 to 5 well-written, in-depth articles on how to do memory tiering, or telling your story how moving back to on-prem reduced your IT spend, shows a significant commitment to the community.

The official Call for vExpert Application window opens mid-December, and you must submit the final version of your application no later than mid-January for the 2026 vExpert award. Official Application and Award dates will be announced in another blog article in December. Don’t forget, everyone must apply. Even if you were awarded vExpert in November of 2025, you still need to apply for the 2026 award.

The vExpert award recognizes contributions made through all of 2025, and the selection committee places high value on recent, impactful work. A focused effort now, like filming 3 to 4 high-quality videos that demonstrate a real scenario can absolutely build a winning application. Let’s talk about how to sprint to the finish line.

Your Q4 Sprint to the 2026 vExpert Award

Think of the next few months as a focused sprint. Here are the key areas where you can make a high-impact contribution before the application period closes in January.

Content Creation: Below are the most common activities, and a powerful way to demonstrate your expertise.

Blogging: Write 3-5 quality blog posts. Don’t just report news. Solve a problem you recently faced, create a detailed how-to guide, or share your unique perspective on a VMware technology. One solid, problem-solving article is worth more than ten quick news summaries. Tip: If you don’t currently run a blog site, you can always leverage LinkedIn.

Videos & Podcasts: Create video tutorials on YouTube or start a podcast. Deep dives into specific features are incredibly valuable to the community.

White Papers & Articles: Contributions should be independent of your core job responsibilities. For example, if your job is to write official company documentation, that would not count, but a technical article written on your own time for a company domain absolutely would.

Community Engagement: Actively helping others learn about VMware software. For example, you could start a weekly learning call where you take colleagues through VMware and teach them how to use our technology.

Community Forums like Broadcom’s Forums here, Reddit or other platforms: Spending just 15-20 minutes a day helping others and answering questions is one of the most visible and respected forms of contribution.

Social Media: Be an active voice on platforms like Facebook Groups, or LinkedIn. Share helpful VMware-related content that you created, add your own insights to discussions, and become a go-to person for a specific topic.

VMUG Leadership: Become a leader or active volunteer for your local VMware User Group (VMUG). Assisting with end-of-year meetings or planning for next year shows a significant commitment.

Public Speaking: Sharing your knowledge with an audience is a fantastic contribution. Public speaking can be done at an event like your local VMUG or internally within your own company. The key is to teach others about VMware technology. 

VMUG Meetings: Reach out to your local VMUG leader and offer to present a short session at an upcoming virtual or in-person meeting.

Webinars: Public-facing webinars are highly valued. Hosting a session that teaches others about VMware technologies is a great way to give back.

Tools and Resources: Writing code and creating tools the community can use is another excellent way to contribute. You can even leverage AI to do most of the coding.

Code & Scripts: Develop and share scripts, tools, or other code on platforms like GitHub that help automate or simplify VMware tasks. There are a lot of people creating automation scripts for the datacenter, and more are needed.

Auto Approval: You still need to submit an application, nothing gets awarded without that, but there are several contributions that essentially auto-qualify you for vExpert. If you’re doing any of the following, just apply and make sure you clearly list what you’ve been involved in and include links where you can. Here is the auto approval list:

• Active VMUG Leader, Co-Leader, or Steering Committee member who’s making an impact
• Community Moderator on Broadcom Community forums, VMware Subreddit moderator or Other VMware related forum (provide a link in your app)
• Creator or moderator of an active VMware-focused Facebook or LinkedIn community (provide a link in your app)
• VCDX certification holder
• HOL staff member at VMware Explore
• Book Author, Co-Author, Editor, or contributor on a VMware-related book (within the last 4 years or older if still relevant)
• 10,000 points or above on the following Broadcom Social Media Advocacy leaderboards: All Members, APJ, LATAM, EMEA, North America, and vExperts. All other leaderboard points are excluded.

If you’re an active user on the Broadcom Social Media Advocacy (SMA) platform, keep an eye on your points because the leaderboards reset each quarter. To join the SMA platform as a community member, please request access by sending email to noell.grier@broadcom.com.

The Strategy: Quality Over Quantity

When we review applications, we look for impact and quality, not just the number of contributions. An applicant with a few insightful blog posts that clearly helped the community solve a real-world problem is often viewed more favorably than an applicant with dozens of low-effort posts. Your goal in this final stretch is to create a few high-value assets that demonstrate your expertise and willingness to give back.

Getting Help with Your Application

The vExpert program includes mentors called vExpert PROs who are located around the world and are available to help you with your application. Most of the vExpert PROs will help you with just about anything related to advocating VMware software; this includes getting started blogging, setting up your first Podcast, or other questions you may have. You can find a local vExpert PRO by searching the official directory at vexpert.vmware.com/directory/pro or you can also reach out to the vExpert program manager directly. If you have questions or need assistance, we are here to help you. Contact the program manager at corey.romero@broadcom.com.

Final Tips for Your Application

Track Everything: Keep a detailed list of all your contributions, with links. Be very detailed about who you are and what you do. Be sure to stay on topic; the content in your application should only be about what you’re doing for the community. For speaking sessions please include the following: what was the topic, when did this happen, where was the session held, and who was the audience? If you have any links supporting your speaking session please include them. Links are not mandatory but are very helpful when we are voting. For items that involve your company domain or event please note that these efforts were done on your own time and the speech you gave at Explore while working for Broadcom is not part of your day job.

Create a Detailed Application

When you apply, avoid saying “I blog, I have a podcast, or I create videos.” Be detailed in your summary, provide the link to your digital property, and explain where we can find your VMware related content. If you are helping others on forums, please provide a link to your profile so we can see your activity. If the platform doesn’t allow linking to your profile, write a summary of how many VMware related questions you answered in 2025 and any other details you think would be helpful. Evidence is critical.

We look forward to reading your application and awarding you vExpert in 2026.

You can click the “Apply for vExpert” button above or go here to get started.