You can apply for the 2025 U.S. ProAdvisor Awards HERE or nominate a U.S. ProAdvisor HERE.
I wrote an article concerning the 2025 U.S. ProAdvisor Awards formal application form a few days ago. In that article, I mentioned covering the formal application for the 2025 International ProAdvisor Awards before the week's end. This article is intended to be a resource for our international followers.
Substantial differences exist between the U.S. and International award processes. While the U.S. awards are based on a 'categorical system,' the International awards are based on a 'geographic system' because of the significant variability in ProAdvisor training and certification opportunities from one Intuit Region to another.
This differentiation is why Insightful Accountant will use separate U.S. and International application forms this year. It became simply too challenging to interweave the U.S. and International applications together in a synonymous flow.
For example, while the 2025 U.S. application has only two and one-half pages of ProAdvisor training and certification-related questions, the International application has six pages of training and certification questions because each distinct geography requires separate content. Of course, none of our international applicants will answer six pages on training and certifications; they typically will answer only about one or two pages of inquiries related to their specific geographic ProAdvisor training opportunities.
With this context in mind, let's examine the contents of the 2025 International Proadvisor Awards formal application.
General Information Inquiries
Once you affirm that you are an International ProAdvisor residing outside of the United States (or its territories), you will be asked to provide your 'Application Date.' This date is important because it drives many 'date-specific events' within the application form.
When you use the "Save and Continue (later)" option to exit the application, we recommend you change this date to the current date when you return to your application. The reason is simple: if you start and date your application on the first date possible, there could be items you will not even have the option of answering if you had waited two months. But if you return to your application and update 'the application date,' any new events between those two dates will automatically become available for your review and answer.
Basic applicant information comes next… such as name, address, and other contact information. We then allow you to request information from our various sponsors, who make these arrangements.
Minimum Criteria: Active Client Practice and Current ProAdvisor Certification
There are two minimum criteria for participating in the awards program. Applicants must have an active client practice with one or more QuickBooks clients. We therefore ask you to provide the number of QuickBooks clients you actively support. This is not the number of clients your firm supports but the number of clients you actually work with.
International Applicants must also possess ProAdvisor (or the equivalent) certification. Because certification availability varies by Intuit Region and, in some cases, countries within an Intuit Region, we need to determine some regional/country information before asking about certifications.
You will, therefore, see questions related to the hemisphere in which you reside and the Intuit Region or Country that is the issuing geographical entity for your certification(s).
Generally, International Applicants applying for the 2025 awards must possess one of three Intuit certifications, and any such certification must have been issued (or renewed) since November 1, 2023. The three certifications are QuickBooks Online (Core) ProAdvisor Certification, QuickBooks Online (Advanced) ProAdvisor Certification, or QuickBooks Online (Global) Accountant Certification.
To assist in the validation process for 2025, all international applicants will be required to upload a PDF of the most current certification meeting the date requirements. The certificate name must match the applicant's name as recorded in the application.
Eligibility to proceed will be determined at this point. Failure to meet the 'Active Client Practice' and 'Current ProAdvisor Certification' requirements will preclude applicants from continuing the process.
Professional Stature
International Applicants will then provide information regarding their formal education, professional credentials, related international association memberships, and other accounting organizations they belong to. Lists have been expanded for the international community, and space has been provided to write in information related to each category should an applicant's membership entity not be included in the list.
Practice Performance
We need to know about your ProAdvisor practice, not the practice or firm you work for. How many years have you been in practice? How long have you been a ProAdvisor?
Is your ProAdvisor Profile published, and various information about your profile, including if you participate in the 'Free Consultation' option, the number of 'Stars' in your profile, the number of 'reviews,' etc?
Some Intuit Regions use Star ratings, some use Benefits tiers, and some use the Intuit Global 'Badged for Success' rankings designations. We will ask you questions to determine which applies to your unique situation.
Practice Dynamics
We need to know how your practice is focused. Are you primarily 'accounting or bookkeeping' focused, do you work primarily with one or just a few different business or industry types (like construction, hospitality, manufacturers, professional services, etc.), or is your practice primarily focused on the QuickBooks' software' itself (installation, maintenance, integrations, etc.).
We will also ask you to provide us with the approximate percentages of your work, the type of services you provide, and information about the specific types of work you perform relative to the type of services you provide.
You will also be asked questions regarding the number of clients by services you perform and the number of clients by Intuit QuickBooks product type.
Practice Priorities
ProAdvisor practices are changing 'the world over,' not just in the United States. That is why we will ask you to answer several data-metric questions to identify your practices concerning current and future priorities, where you think the profession is heading, what you will focus on during the upcoming year, and how you interact with social media.
Geographic-based Training Opportunities
Before asking about 'geographic specific' training events, we have a section on some popular ProAdvisor events held in the United States.
U.S. Training Opportunities for International ProAdvisors
Many International ProAdvisors participate in training events hosted annually in the United States. Two represent some of the largest gatherings of ProAdvisors worldwide: the Woodard Group's Scaling New Heights event and Intuit's QuickBooks Connect. This section lets you earn valuable training points from participating in those events.
Western Hemisphere ProAdvisors
Suppose you answered in our earlier geographic inquiry that you resided in the Western Hemisphere. In that case, some of the following sections will be turned on depending on other geographic inquiries you respond to within this section.
Sub-hemisphere categories within the Western Hemisphere include Canada and other areas of the 'Americas' (not including Canada or the USA).
You will be asked questions about training opportunities hosted and other certifications available within your geographic area. You can also write in training hours or credits not explicitly listed within the applicable geographic opportunities.
Eastern Hemisphere ProAdvisors
Suppose you answered the first geographic inquiry advising that you reside in the Eastern Hemisphere. In that case, some of the following sections will be turned on depending on additional geographic inquiries you respond to within this section. The geographic training provisions are more diverse in the Eastern Hemisphere than in the Western Hemisphere.
We need to determine if you are in the British Isles, a country in continental Europe, the Middle East or Africa, the Asia-Pacific (including Oceania), or Intuit's Rest-of-the-world/Global region to display the proper training and certification opportunities.
Regardless of region, you will be asked about specific 2024 training and certifications for your location. You can also write in training hours or credits not explicitly listed within the applicable geographic opportunities.
QuickBooks Ecosystem Activities
This section boosts your point score through inquiries about your engagement with the QuickBooks Ecosystem as part of your ProAdvisor Practice. The primary emphasis is on apps that integrate with QuickBooks.
You may opt out of this category if you do not use or support any 3rd-party Apps that integrate with QuickBooks; however, you should avoid skipping this section because of the numerous possible points.
The section begins with questions to measure each applicant's practices in analyzing and selecting third-party apps and current technological trends impacting the ecosystem.
You will then be asked to provide details regarding your interactions with a limited group of highly-ranked apps listed in the Intuit Global App Store; however, you also have the opportunity to enter your preferred apps for several specific app types (A/P, A/R, CRM, Time-keeping, etc.) and provide details on how you interact with those apps.
You may need or wish to use the application form's 'Save and Continue' (later) feature to gather information and provide as much detail as possible.
Summary
Hopefully, this article will help you prepare to join Insightful Accountant's 2025 applicants for the International ProAdvisor Awards.
I look forward to seeing you apply this year when the process opens later this month.
Thanks to our continuing sponsors (shown below) for this upcoming year.
