Guide to Submitting Your 2026 Industry Award Nominations

Refer to the dropdown menu to review category options.

There are a total of 28 general categories to select from. Many of the general categories have subcategories to further refine your category selection. Once you make your general category selection, subcategory options will automatically appear if applicable.

There are two different types of nominations for your consideration.

• Company initiative: If you are nominating a company initiative, select the category that aligns with your company, and if applicable, a subcategory for your nomination. For example, if your company identifies as an Asset Manager and your initiative is a new or enhanced ETF tool or program, then you would select Asset Manager (Initiatives) for your category and ETFs as the subcategory. There are a total of 100 (sub)categories for initiative nominations.
  
  
• Individual executive/leader: If you are nominating an individual in one of the leadership subcategories, you would select the category that aligns with your company and the executive’s role. For example, if your company identifies as a Technology Provider and your executive is the Chief Marketing Officer, you would select Technology Provider (Executives) for your category and Chief Marketing Officer of the Year as the subcategory. There are a total of 30 (sub)categories for executive nominations.

• Each category and subcategory has its own set of criteria and list of questions to help you explain what makes your nomination unique and worthy of recognition.
  
  
• Once you select your category/subcategory from the pulldown menu, the category criteria and questions for your response will automatically appear.

The title of your nomination should be brief (6 to 8 words preferred), descriptive and clearly identify the company initiative or individual executive you are submitting for nomination.

• For a company initiative, be sure to state the type of initiative being nominated (i.e. an application, a campaign, a platform, a report, etc.), as well as a few descriptive, non-promotional words to clearly identify your initiative.
  
  
• For a company executive/leader, type the individual’s name, title and company as you would like them to appear in print and online (i.e. Joe Smith, CEO, XYZ Corporation or Joseph P. Smith, Chief Executive Officer, XYZ, etc.)

If you opt to nominate an initiative, the following series of questions will appear to help you describe and identify the initiative to the judges. The use of clear descriptions, metrics, usage stats and evidence showing how the initiative facilitated advisor success will be important for the judges as they evaluate each nomination.

Initiative type - you can select either a NEW initiative, which is obviously a recently introduced program/project, or an ENHANCED initiative. If you are nominating an enhanced initiative, be sure to provide details in your answers to explain the specific enhancement that was made to an existing project.

Initiative timeframe - please note that the initiative you nominate needs to be recent. You will be asked to verify that your initiative has been launched or developed within the last 18 months.

Initiative description - this question will give you the opportunity to briefly define and explain either the new initiative or enhancement you are submitting for nomination. NOTE: This information will be used in promotion of the Industry Awards, Finalists and/or Winners both online and in print.

Initiative goals - this question is where you will briefly state the primary goal(s) of the new initiative or enhancement. NOTE: This information may be used in promotion of the Industry Awards, Finalists and/or Winners both online and in print.

Initiative results - this is where you should quantitatively provide support that shows how the results of the new or enhanced initiative met your goals. Refer to the category criteria as a benchmark for evaluation as well, specifically noting how the new or enhanced initiative met the stated criteria of the category. NOTE: any information provided in response to this specific question WILL NOT be made public or shared with anyone other than the judging panel.

Initiative Impact - tell us how the new or enhanced initiative made an impact on the financial advisor community. Specifically, how has it helped the community and contributed to the success of financial advisors. NOTE: This information may be used in promotion of the Industry Awards, Finalists and/or Winners both online and in print.

If you opt to nominate a company executive or team leader, the following series of questions will appear to help you present the merits of the candidate to the judges. The use of clear descriptions, metrics, stats and evidence showing how the nominee facilitated advisor success will be important for the judges as they evaluate each nomination.

Nominee role - this question gives you the opportunity to briefly describe the role of the individual you are nominating and the scope of his or her responsibility within the company and/or industry. NOTE: This information will be used in promotion of the Industry Awards, Finalists and/or Winners both online and in print.

Nominee achievements - this question is where you will briefly state how the nominee has met the criteria for this category over the last 18 months. Refer to the category criteria as a benchmark for evaluation, specifically noting how he or she met the stated criteria of the category. NOTE: This information may be used in promotion of the Industry Awards, Finalists and/or Winners both online and in print.

Company results - this is where you should provide quantitative and qualitative results demonstrating the results your company has experienced due to your nominee’s leadership efforts and abilities over the last 18 months. NOTE: any information provided in response to this specific question WILL NOT be made public or shared with anyone other than the judging panel.

Industry impact - tell us how your nominee’s leadership and achievements have set a positive example and made a measurable impact on the financial advisor community over the last 18 months. NOTE: This information may be used in promotion of the Industry Awards, Finalists and/or Winners both online and in print.

Executive headshot - the upload of a headshot of the executive or team leader being nominated is required to complete your submission. Instructions and file specs appear on the nomination form.

Executive contact information - provide the email address of the executive or team leader being nominated.

The information requested below relates to you, the person completing this nomination form.

NOTE: We will consider you our primary contact if we have any questions about the company, executive and/or initiative you are submitting for nomination.

First Name
Last Name
Job Title
Company Name (the company you work for)
Phone
Email

Your relationship to the nominated company (I work for nominated company, parent company or outside agency)

The information requested below relates to the company whose executive or initiative you are nominating for submission.

NOTE: The information and submission materials you provide may be used online and in print to promote the Industry Awards and identify the company, executive and/or initiative you are submitting for nomination. Please be sure all elements of your nomination have been internally reviewed and approved prior to submission to Wealth Management.

NAME OF NOMINATED COMPANY (Enter the name of the company whose executive or initiative is being nominated)

NOMINATED COMPANY LOCATION (Complete with city, state, country)

NOMINATED COMPANY PROFILE (This profile should relate to the company associated with the executive or initiative being nominated and is limited to 150 words)

NOTE: This description will be used in materials to promote the Awards, its finalists and/or winners. Please be sure to include information as you would like it to appear online and/or in print.

NOMINATED COMPANY WEB ADDRESS (Provide website address/URL. It will be used to promote finalist and winning submissions online and in print)

PARENT COMPANY NAME (Provide if applicable)

FINALIST CONTACT INFORMATION (Provide name, title, company and email of the person who should receive complimentary marketing/PR materials [special Finalist logo, press release template, etc.] should your nomination be named a Finalist)

WINNER CONTACT INFORMATION (Provide name, company, email and phone number of the person we should contact for award shipping instructions should your nomination be named a Winner)

The information requested below relates to the executive or initiative you are nominating for consideration.

NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, the information and submission materials you provide may be used online and in print to promote the Industry Awards and identify the company, executive and/or initiative you are submitting for nomination. Please be sure all elements of your nomination have been internally reviewed and approved prior to submission to Wealth Management.

You have the option to download a “Helpful Hints” document from the nomination web site regarding completing Steps 3 and 4 of the submission form.

NOMINATION CATEGORIES

There are a total of 28 general categories and a wide array of subcategories to help you refine your category selection. Company initiatives are eligible to be nominated in 100 of the (sub)categories.

To review your options in advance, download the 2026 category file lists from the nomination website.

CATEGORY SELECTION (Select your nomination category/subcategory from the dropdown menu)

NOTE: Once you make your selection, the Category Criteria will appear for your review along with a series of questions pertaining to the executive or initiative being nominated.

YOUR NOMINATION’s TITLE (Initiative) - Provide a Nomination Title that is brief (6-8 words preferred) descriptive, and clearly identifies the initiative you are submitting for nomination. Clearly state the type of initiative being nominated in the title, i.e. New Investor Portal, Cyber Security Policy Enforcement System, Client Survey Tool, Software for Fiduciaries, etc.

NOTE: There is a 10-word limit on Nomination Titles.

INITIATIVE TYPE (Select the option which best describes your initiative)

__ New initiative

__ Enhanced initiative

INITIATIVE TIMEFRAME (Confirm that the initiative was launched or enhanced in the last 18 months)

__Yes

__No

NOTE: The Awards program is designed to recognize new initiatives as well as new enhancements to an existing program, product or platform. For example, if you have an existing technology platform, and in the last 18 months added a new feature, you can submit that new feature as your initiative. Just be sure to label and describe it as such. If your new or enhanced initiative was not enacted in the last 18 months, then it does not qualify for nomination and you should not continue with this submission.

IDENTIFY YOUR INITIATIVE (Please select the noun that best describes your new initiative or enhancement from the pulldown menu)

Options include: Application, Campaign, Event, Model, Plan, Platform, Podcast, Portal, Product, Program, Research, Service, Software, Solution, System, Tool, Video, Other

INITIATIVE DESCRIPTION (Briefly define and explain the new initiative or enhancement being submitted for entry; 125 words maximum)

NOTE: This information will be used in promotion of the Finalist and/or Winner entries, both online and in print.

ENHANCEMENT IDENTIFICATION (If you are submitting an ENHANCED initiative, briefly identify and describe the exact enhancement that was made to the existing product or service. If submitting a NEW initiative, type “not applicable” in the box.)

INITIATIVE GOALS (Briefly state the primary goal(s) of the new initiative or enhancement; 100 words maximum)

NOTE: This information may be used in promotion of the Finalist and/or Winner entries, both online and in print.

INITIATIVE RESULTS (Tell us in quantitative and qualitative terms how the results of the new initiative or enhancement met your goal(s) and the criteria for the category; 100 words maximum)

NOTE: This information WILL NOT be made public or seen by anyone other than the judging panel.

INITIATIVE IMPACT (Describe how the new initiative or enhancement has impacted and contributed to the success of the financial advisor community; 100 words maximum)

NOTE: This information may be used in promotion of the Finalist and/or Winner entries, both online and in print.

The fields below provide the option for you to upload additional materials in support of your nomination, as well as required materials and information to complete the submission process.

COMPANY LOGO (required upload)

Please upload the logo of the company whose initiative or executive is being nominated.

Required Logo Specs:

• Vector image
• EPS or Adobe Illustrator (AI) file (preferred formats*)
• Label the logo file with the full company name

*You may receive an error message or not be able to complete your submission unless you upload a high-resolution file in an acceptable format (EPS or Adobe Illustrator preferred).

SUPPORT MATERIALS (optional)

(Up to two documents, such as promotional and marketing materials, research reports, white papers, etc., may be uploaded below in support of your nomination; doc, docx, pdf, xlxs files accepted)

NOTE: All support materials with be kept strictly confidential.

MULTIMEDIA UPLOAD (optional)

(A 1-2 minute video may be uploaded below in support of your nomination; 3GP, AAC, AVI, FLV, MP4 and MPEG-2 files accepted)

NOTE: All support materials with be kept strictly confidential.

TEAM PHOTO UPLOAD (optional)

As an option, you can also upload a photo of the team members associated with the initiative you have nominated. This photo may be used in our website gallery or in promotion of the Industry Awards

Specs: 300 dpi; Jpeg file format preferred.

SUBMISSION MATERIALS AGREEMENT (Each applicant must read and agree to the following paragraph)

I understand and agree that, with the exception of those sections noted and the optional Supporting Document materials, any/all of the nomination elements provided with this submission may be used "as is" by Wealth Management in support and promotion of the 2026 Industry Awards Program online and in print. Internal review and approval of all materials should be obtained from the Company being nominated prior to submission to Wealth Management. Once materials have been submitted, they cannot be changed or altered.

NOTE: Although Support Materials are not required with each nomination, it is strongly recommended that you upload any available materials in support of your nomination. The judges will review all uploaded documents and take them into consideration when evaluating your submission. All supporting documentation materials will be kept strictly confidential.

__ I agree

MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS

Multiple entries per company are allowed. Please be sure to read the guidelines below before proceeding with any additional submissions:

• Nomination limit: Individual companies are limited to submitting a total of 10 nominations across all categories. If any company submits more than 10 nominations, the nominator(s) will be asked to select the 10 they would like to have the judges consider for final review.
  
  
• Nominations per category: More than one initiative can be entered per category.
  
  
• Nominations across categories: The same initiative/executive can be entered in multiple categories provided the criteria is met. In that case, each submission should be tailored to the specific category criteria. If nominations are not tailored to the criteria, the judges will use their discretion to decide the best category match based on the information provided.
  
  
• Judges' discretion: If upon review the judges determine a nomination does not meet the specified criteria of the selected category, they will, at their discretion, re-assign the nomination to the proper category.

COPY INTENT

Please choose one option below:

__Yes, I plan to copy this nomination and submit it into an additional category.

__No, I only plan to submit this nomination in one category.

TO COPY YOUR NOMINATION

To copy your nomination to an additional category, click the button at the bottom of this page that reads, "I want to enter this, and copy the same nomination to an additional category." Then click "Save and Submit."

NOTE: The same initiative or executive can be entered in multiple categories provided the criteria is met. In that case, each submission should be tailored to the specific category criteria. If nominations are not tailored to the criteria, the judges will use their discretion to decide the best category match based on the information provided.