The MVP award
Being an MVP gets you very little—some status boost among those who misunderstand it (MVPs are not awarded for technical skill), since many people think MVP = expert—plus a MSDN subscription, a lot of paperwork (including multiple NDAs), some access to product teams (this varies from team to team—some interactions are great, others poor), and a trophy.
To the right is my MVP trophy (as well as the ALM Rangers award and the MVP of the Year cube), and I think it looks pretty awesome. But how does it get to me?
In this post, I take a slightly tongue-in-cheek look at the box the MVP award comes in and what it’s saying about MVP’s.
Above, you can see the three years of trophy boxes. Let’s analyze those covers. I’m assuming the person on each box represents MVP’s in general:
- MVP’s are always dressed in smart casual—chinos and a blue shirt are required. Hah, not likely.
- MVP’s have neck problems, causing them to tilt their heads. This is probably true, given all the time spent hunched over machines.
- MVP’s always have their laptops with them. Also likely true. Next year, he’d better include a Windows 8 tablet, though.
- Interesting that the 2010 guy got one cover while the 2011 guy returned in 2012. Guess the 2010 guy wasn’t re-awarded 😉
- The 2011 guy has shrunk in 2012—are we shrinking away, or did Mr. 2011 not do enough work?
- In 2010 and 2011, the ghosts of MVP’s past clearly stand in support of the MVP. By 2012, they’re no longer concerned and are just chatting among themselves.
What would I change? Easy—use a photo from the MVP Summit with real MVP’s engaging with each other. It would be even better to have new 2012 MVP’s (first-timers) pose together for it. That way, there’s extra incentive for 2013: a box featuring real MVP’s that could include you.