The Red Hat Certified Professional of the Year Award is back, and it's time for Red Hat Certified Professionals (RHCPs) to shine in the spotlight. We're honoring the hard work, expertise and ingenuity of some of the world's premier IT professionals through our annual contest. The contest is open to all Red Hat Certification credentials (RHCSA, RHCE, RHCVA, RHCSS, RHCDS, RHCA, JBCAA, JBCD, and Red Hat Certificates of Expertise).

To be considered for the 2012 RHCP of the Year contest, you must be a current Red Hat Certified Professional and complete the online form here . To enter, simply provide a 500-words-or-fewer summary that details how you put on your "best-in-show" hat and applied your Red Hat Certified skills to enhance your IT environment, increase system performance, tighten system security, and/or deliver results for your organization.

Red Hat is accepting submissions now through May 1. All of the submissions will be reviewed by a panel of Red Hat judges. Judging will take place from May 2-9 and the RHCPs of the Year will be announced on May 14. From the four RHCP winners, one winner will be recognized as the overall, worldwide RHCP of the Year 2012!

The worldwide winner will receive a free trip to Red Hat Summit and JBoss World 2012. The three RHCP regional winners will receive a 2012 RHCP of the Year plaque for their region.

Enter today and tell us your story of how you leveraged your skills to make an impact in your organization.

Good luck!