Awards categories and selection criteria
The Awards comprise 14 categories. Below are the selection criteria:
1. Journalist of the Year – Pensions
Submissions for this Award should include an article covering pensions industry developments, institutional investment management and/or pension policy developments. Journalists will be awarded for demonstrating an all-round understanding of pensions issues via news stories or feature length articles.
2. Journalist of the Year – Regulation
Submissions for this Award should demonstrate an understanding of changing regulatory issues and how institutional investors are preparing / coping with the landscape via news stories or feature length articles.
3. Journalist of the Year – Investment
Submissions for this Award should include an article covering investment issues within institutional fund management, trading, financial markets or economic research. Journalists will be awarded for demonstrating an all-round understanding of investment issues via news stories or feature length articles.
4. Journalist of the Year – Business Market Commentary
Submissions for this award should include articles covering in depth macro-economic issues and the impact on markets and investment trends – e.g. Inflation, geopolitics, interest rate rises, and currency moves. Journalists will be awarded for demonstrating an all-round understanding of the key macro-economic issues via news stories or feature length articles.
5. Journalist of the Year – Investor Services
Submissions for this Award should include articles covering financial back and middle office issues. Journalists will be awarded for demonstrating an all-round understanding of investor services and technology issues via news stories or feature length articles.
6. Journalist of the Year – Alternatives
Submissions for this Award should include articles specifically covering the alternatives space - including but not limited to; real estate, hedge funds, and private equity. Journalists will be awarded for demonstrating an understanding of how institutional investors are using alternatives, and the servicing and regulatory issues surrounding the asset class via news stories or feature length articles.
7. Journalist of the Year – Passive Investment / Index (including ETFs)
Submissions for this Award should include articles specifically covering the passive investment / indexing space. Journalists will be awarded for demonstrating an all-round understanding of passive investment / indexing issues via news stories or feature length articles.
8. Journalist of the Year –Technology and Digital Finance
Blockchain, Decentralized Finance and other technological innovations are driving rapid change in the investment industry. Submissions for this Award should include articles covering blockchain and cryptocurrencies, financial technology, and data issues. This category aims to highlight the great work of journalists covering how the innovative use of technology is transforming the financial industry, and how fintech firms are leading the way and challenging traditional operations and business models. This includes disruptive technology such as blockchain, cryptocurrencies and DeFi. Journalists will be awarded for demonstrating an all-round understanding of investor services and technology issues via news stories or feature length articles.
9. Journalist of the Year – Diversity and Inclusion
Submissions for this Award should include articles specifically covering the topic of diversity in the financial services industry. This includes examples of good practice, highlighting areas where sufficient progress has / hasn’t been made, and profiles of leaders / innovators in the field.
10. Journalist of the Year – Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
Articles regarding best practice, financial products focused on investing in or promoting ESG, financial institutions’ efforts to promote ESG, active management to ensure ESG goals are met within investee companies etc., are welcome. Journalists will be awarded on the quality of writing within feature length articles or news stories.
11. Breaking News Journalist of the Year
The aim of this category is to draw attention to the skills needed to report on a breaking news story. How did you analyse the situation, how did you go about getting additional information / content, what part of the process are you particularly proud of? Submissions for this Award should include reporters’ best ‘breaking news’ stories.
12. Best Newcomer of the Year
Submissions for this Award should include articles demonstrating a deep understanding of institutional issues in a variety of styles. This is for journalists who have spent less than two years in financial journalism.
13. Best Editorial Comment of the Year
Submissions for this Award should be made by editors and include a leader / comment piece that demonstrates original, timely and interesting thoughts on key institutional issues.
14. Outstanding Contribution to Journalism
This is awarded at the discretion of the judging panel and looks to recognize a journalist that has made an outstanding contribution to institutional journalism across their career.