This is a new initiative and you would have to qualify as per the instructions in the first post and throughout this topic.
I don't know what you mean by your free year, if you mean you have the avast free version, then you are able to renew it when the time comes for free. You start to get a reminder when you have 28 days or less to go the GUI > Maintenance > Registration section changes to allow you to renew.
If it is the avast Internet Security (AIS) you are talking about, then that can only be achieved by qualification requirement in post 1.