2025 Esri Community Contest — Mid-Year Progress Update

[JesseCloutier]

Image: 2025 Esri Community Contest banner

We’re more than half way through the 2025 Esri Community Contest timeline and want to provide everyone with an update on the rankings as of August. The criteria used to determine these results include members answering others' questions (providing Accepted Solutions), engagement in conversations across the platform, receiving kudos, and other forms of participation. 

For a refresher on full contest details and rewards, see Announcing the 2025 Esri Community Contest.

Here’s where things currently stand on the list of members closest to the top spots in each category:

Elite Level (MVPs)	Rising Star	Newcomer of the Year
@DanPatterson (68)	@Neal_t_k	@VenkataKondepati
@CodyPatterson (60)	@Brian_McLeer	@AndyKubrin
@KenBuja (59)	@Bud	@SydneyHeathcott
@JeffreyThompson2 (47)	@gis_KIWI4	@SaraWazir
@DavidSolari (36)	@MichaelVolz	@SvenJensen

We're thrilled to see lots of new people on this list that shows some of Esri Community’s most active members! Remember that only the top three in each category will be announced official winners once we run the final results at the very beginning of 2026. And if you don't see your username on this list, don't fret. There’s still plenty of time left for the leaderboards to shift—even dramatically.

Lots of luck to everyone set on winning a top spot by the end of this year!

[VenkataKondepati]

Thank you for sharing the update and recognizing the contributions from the community. 🙏

It’s encouraging to see such strong engagement across all categories and to be listed among the “Newcomer of the Year” group. I’ve learned a lot through the process of answering questions, engaging in discussions, and collaborating with other members. The Esri Community is a powerful space where knowledge-sharing really accelerates everyone’s growth.

Best of luck to all participants as we head into the final stretch of 2025. I look forward to continuing to contribute, learn, and support others on their GIS journey. 🚀

— Venkat

[JesseCloutier]

@VenkataKondepati, learning through the process of engagement here in Esri Community is exactly the experience we aim to provide. Thank you for contributing to the meaningful conversations and ever-expanding knowledge Esri users around the world get to draw from. And congratulations again on the early recognition — keep up the great work!

[Leena_Abdulqader]

Tough competition!!! 😱  I will still try, but I don't think I have a chance😭. Best of luck to everyone!💪

[JesseCloutier]

There's still nearly a third of the year to go, @Leena_Abdulqader, so never say never! 

[bkhandore]

Thanks for sharing