IBM Advocate 2026

Issued by IBM

The IBM Advocate badge recognizes individuals who show consistent, intentional advocacy that supports education, community building, and knowledge sharing across the IBM technology community. Earners contribute with increased depth and ownership, moving beyond early participation to deliver value through sustained engagement. Advocates share experience, support or lead community efforts, and offer insights that help others understand and apply IBM technologies.

Type Experience
Level Intermediate
Time Days
Cost Free

Additional Details

Skills

Earning Criteria

Recipients of the IBM Advocate badge have demonstrated the following activities within the current calendar year:
Completion of a minimum of six (6) eligible advocacy activities, which must include at least two (2) extended contributions, such as original content, speaking, mentoring, technical contribution, or community leadership, as described in the IBM Champions Activity roster
Regular participation across one or more advocacy activity areas, including content creation, speaking, community engagement, social advocacy that adds insight, mentoring, or structured feedback.
Advocacy activities that extend beyond formal job responsibilities, employer‑directed promotion, or direct promotion of one’s own business (mandatory for evaluation)
Contributions that demonstrate intent, credibility, and added value for others in the IBM technology community.
A pattern of engagement observed over time and reviewed through qualitative evaluation.
Applicants must have earned the IBM Contributor badge as a pre-requisite and must report activities using ibm.biz/champ-report.
Note on IBM Z and LinuxONE advocacy: If your activity focuses on IBM Z and LinuxONE, consider starting with the IBM Z and LinuxONE Advocacy Hub. Activities applied to those community badges are not counted toward IBM Rising Champions badges. You can still earn Rising Champions badges through different activities, and all contributions may be considered for IBM Champion evaluation.
Completion of activities establishes eligibility for review but does not automatically result in badge issuance or progression to IBM Influencer.
Note: All submitted activities are reviewed and validated by IBM. Badge approval is granted at IBM’s discretion.
All Rising Champions and Champions who participated in the program after January 1, 2025, DO NOT need to complete a New Candidate Application, but they must report activities using ibm.biz/champ-report to be evaluated for this calendar year.