Announcing the 2024 Designed for Surface Award Winners

The Microsoft Designed for Surface (DfS) team is proud to announce the winners of the 2024 Designed for Surface Partner, Product, and Innovator of the Year Awards! Our annual Partner Awards recognize the creativity, dedication, impact and technical excellence that our partners exemplify.

For over a decade, Designed for Surface has worked with Partners to empower customers by providing certified accessories developed by trusted partners, ensuring compatibility and enhancing Surface user experience in diverse use case scenarios.

This year, we are honored to celebrate these achievements with our 2024 winners, Kensington and UAG. Both Partners have launched innovative and impactful accessories designed to complement the Surface experience and demonstrated a strong spirit of collaboration throughout 2024.

Candidates for Partner of the Year were evaluated on comprehensive factors, including product innovation, partner engagement, sales, and contributions to DfS goals and awareness. The winner, Kensington, launched various categories of products throughout 2024, significantly diversified the DfS portfolio and extended the capabilities of Surface to support more customer use cases.

Additionally, Kensington has been actively involved in multiple internal Surface activities, including supporting launch events and presenting at Surface community sessions. Their close engagement with DfS has increased awareness of the program in many ways. “Kensington is truly honored to be recognized with Microsoft’s DFS Partner of the Year Award because it validates our efforts to deliver solutions that protect and enhance the customer experience of the innovative DFS platform,” explained Giovanni Sena, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Kensington.

The Designed for Surface Product of the Year, UAG Plasma Healthcare Series Case for Surface Pro, is a sleek case designed to support antimicrobial wipe down and features a white and grey design that is resistant to staining, making it a great solution within the healthcare industry. This lightweight, Mil-Spec 810G rated protective case is one of the top selling cases within the Designed for Surface portfolio, and it’s not only healthcare customers who love it. “Across industries, we hear consistently positive feedback about this product and how it enables our customers to work in a wide range of environments” said Allison Cargill, Director, Microsoft Accessories.

UAG has a strong track record of creating solutions loved by Surface customers, with solutions supporting Education, Government, Retail and more. “We deeply value our partnership with UAG and look forward to continuing to work together to support our mutual customers."

The Kensington Elevated Stand has been positively recognized among Surface teams since its launch in 2024, winning the award for Innovative Solution of the Year. It’s an elegant, unique solution designed exclusively for Surface 2-in-1 users looking for a simple mobile stand. “We are thrilled to receive the Innovation Solution of the Year Award from Microsoft for the Kensington Elevated Stand for Surface,” said Giovanni Sena, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Kensington. “The sleek and innovative design of the compact Elevated Stand extends the versatility of the Surface Pro, making it an ideal multi-functional accessory for elevating the Surface workstation, while enabling a more immersive experience.”

“Our partnership with Kensington allowed us to closely collaborate on the Elevated Stand for Surface, a purpose-built solution that reimagines how and where customers can use their Surface Pro and Flex Keyboard,” said Allison Cargill, Director, Surface Accessories. “This accessory is a must-have for mobile workers who are looking for a versatile, ergonomic set up.” 

Congratulations, Kensington and UAG! We look forward to the innovative products DFS will introduce in 2025 and the ways they’ll empower Surface customers.