Nominations Open For 2018 ETF.com Awards
2018 has been a tumultuous year for markets, with major upheavals in the U.S. and abroad. The ETF industry plows ahead, however, having pulled in over $220 billion. Innovation is also alive and well, with some 250 new products sitting on the shelves. The ongoing fee war continues to shake things up among issuers, and the importance of “bring your own assets” and distribution prowess have never been more important.
In an effort to recognize the people, companies and products moving this industry forward, ETF.com and Inside ETFs are teaming up once again to organize the annual ETF.com Awards. These editorially independent awards are the most coveted in the industry, and are widely seen as the most robust recognition of innovative success.
Nominations for the awards are now being accepted by clicking here. Details on how to submit nominations—as well as the categories, process and voting methodology for the awards—are listed below. The nominations open today, Dec. 3, 2018, and close Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019.
Winners in each category will be announced at the ETF.com Awards Dinner, taking place March 28, 2019, at Chelsea Piers, Pier 61, in New York. Winners will also be announced on the www.etf.com website on March 29, 2018, and in the April 2019 issue of ETF Report.
Methodology
ETF.com Award winners are selected in a three-part process designed to leverage the insights and opinions of leaders throughout the ETF industry.
Step 1
The awards process begins with open nominations, which starts Dec. 3, 2018, and closes Jan. 3, 2019. Interested parties are invited to submit nominations using this survey form. Self-nominations are accepted. You cannot win if you are not nominated, and no nominations will be accepted after the deadline. There are no exceptions to this rule. If you have any difficulties in nominating, please email Stacey Brorup at sbrorup@etf.com.
Step 2
Following the open nominations process, the ETF.com Awards Nominating committee—made up of senior leaders at ETF.com, Inside ETFs and the FactSet ETF team (whose data powers the ETF.com website and fund reports)—will vote to select up to five finalists in each category. Votes will be cast on a majority basis, and ties broken where possible with head-to-head runoff votes. If ties cannot be broken, more than five finalists are allowed. The nomination voting will be completed by Jan. 14, 2019.
2018 Nominating Committee
Matt Hougan, Chairman, Inside ETFs (Chair)
Paul Britt, Senior Analyst, FactSet
Elisabeth Kashner, Director of ETF Research, FactSet
Dave Nadig, Managing Director, ETF.com
Drew Voros, Editor-in-Chief, ETF.com
Step 3
Winners among these finalists will be selected by a majority vote of the ETF.com Awards Selection committee, a group of independent ETF experts from throughout the ETF community. Committee members will recuse themselves from voting in any category in which they or their firms appear as finalists. Ties will be decided where possible with head-to-head runoff votes.
2018 Awards Selection Committee
Kim Arthur, Main Management
Eric Balchunas, Bloomberg Intelligence
Ben Blaisdell, US Trust
Rob Glownia, RiverFront
Tom Lydon, ETFtrends.com
Phil Mackintosh, NASDAQ
Tyler Mordy, Forstrong Global Asset Management
Jason Nicastro, LPL Financial
Todd Rosenbluth, CFRA
Jim Wiandt, Industry Expert
Voting will be complete by Jan. 3, 2019, but results will be kept secret until they are announced at the ETF.com Awards Dinner on March 28, 2019.
AWARD CATEGORIES FOR 2018
Lifetime Achievement Award
Awarded annually to one living individual for outstanding long-term contributions to ETF investor outcomes, whether from a position of media, regulation, product provider, investor or other category.
Note: Previous winners are not eligible.
ETF of the Year – 2018
Awarded to the ETF that has done the most to improve investor opportunities and outcomes in 2018 by providing access to interesting areas of the market, lowering costs, delivering new exposures or otherwise creating better results for investors.
Note: There is no requirement for this award regarding when this fund was launched.
Best New ETF – 2018
Awarded to the most important ETF launched in 2018.
Note: Importance is measured by the overall contribution to positive investor outcomes. The award may recognize ETFs that open new areas of the market, lower costs, drive risk-adjusted performance or provide innovative exposures not previously available to most investors. Only ETFs with inception dates after Dec. 31, 2017 are eligible.
Most Innovative New ETF – 2018
Awarded to the most groundbreaking and disruptive ETF launched in 2018. This is an ETF that is pushing the envelope in terms of what kinds of exposures can be packaged into an ETF.
Best New U.S. Equity ETF – 2018
Awarded to the most important U.S. equity ETF launched in 2018.
Note: Importance is measured by the overall contribution to positive investor outcomes. The award may recognize ETFs that open new areas of the market, lower costs, drive risk-adjusted performance or provide innovative exposures not previously available to most investors. Only ETFs with inception dates after Dec. 31, 2017 are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as a U.S. Equity ETF to qualify.
Best New International/Global Equity ETF – 2018
Awarded to the most important international or global equity ETF launched in 2018.
Note: Importance is measured by the overall contribution to positive investor outcomes. The award may recognize ETFs that open new areas of the market, lower costs, drive risk-adjusted performance or provide innovative exposures not previously available to most investors. Only ETFs with inception dates after Dec. 31, 2017 are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as an Equity ETF, but not a U.S.-focused Equity ETF, to qualify.
Best New U.S. Fixed-Income ETF – 2018
Awarded to the most important fixed-income ETF launched in 2018.
Note: Importance is measured by the overall contribution to positive investor outcomes. The award may recognize ETFs that open new areas of the market, lower costs, drive risk-adjusted performance or provide innovative exposures not previously available to most investors. Only ETFs with inception dates after Dec. 31, 2017 are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as a U.S. Fixed-Income ETF to qualify.
Best New International/Global Fixed-Income ETF – 2018
Awarded to the most important international or global fixed-income ETF launched in 2018.
Note: Importance is measured by the overall contribution to positive investor outcomes. The award may recognize ETFs that open new areas of the market, lower costs, drive risk-adjusted performance or provide innovative exposures not previously available to most investors. Only ETFs with inception dates after Dec. 31, 2017 are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as a Fixed Income ETF, but not a U.S.-focused Fixed Income ETF, to qualify.
Best New Commodity ETF – 2018
Awarded to the most important commodity ETF launched in 2018.
Note: Importance is measured by the overall contribution to positive investor outcomes. The award may recognize ETFs that open new areas of the market, lower costs, drive risk-adjusted performance or provide innovative exposures not previously available to most investors. Only ETFs with inception dates after Dec. 31, 2017 are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as a Commodity ETF to qualify.
Best New Currency ETF – 2018
Awarded to the most important currency ETF launched in 2018.
Note: Importance is measured by the overall contribution to positive investor outcomes. The award may recognize ETFs that open new areas of the market, lower costs, drive risk-adjusted performance or provide innovative exposures not previously available to most investors. Only ETFs with inception dates after Dec. 31, 2017 are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as a Currency ETF to qualify.
Best New Alternatives ETF – 2018
Awarded to the most important alternatives ETF launched in 2018.
Note: Importance is measured by the overall contribution to positive investor outcomes. The award may recognize ETFs that open new areas of the market, lower costs, drive risk-adjusted performance or provide innovative exposures not previously available to most investors. Only ETFs with inception dates after Dec. 31, 2017 are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as an Alternatives ETF to qualify.
Best New Asset Allocation ETF – 2018
Awarded to the most important ETF launched in 2018 that combines exposure to multiple asset classes.
Note: Importance is measured by the overall contribution to positive investor outcomes. The award may recognize ETFs that open new areas of the market, lower costs, drive risk-adjusted performance or provide innovative exposures not previously available to most investors. Only ETFs with inception dates after Dec. 31, 2017 are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as an Asset Allocation ETF to qualify.
Best New Smart-Beta or Factor ETF – 2018
Awarded to the most important new ETF launched in 2018, regardless of asset class, that uses a quantitative, research-driven approach to attempt to deliver superior long-term risk-adjusted returns.
Note: Importance is measured by the overall contribution to positive investor outcomes. The award may recognize ETFs that open new areas of the market, lower costs, drive risk-adjusted performance or provide innovative exposures not previously available to most investors. Only ETFs with inception dates after Dec. 31, 2017 are eligible. ETF must be classified as a Smart-Beta strategy by FactSet to qualify. (Please note: Despite the FactSet categorization, currency-hedged exposures do not qualify.)
Best New Active ETF – 2018
Awarded to the most important new actively managed ETF launched in 2018, regardless of asset class.
Note: Importance is measured by the overall contribution to positive investor outcomes. The award may recognize ETFs that open new areas of the market, lower costs, drive risk-adjusted performance or provide innovative exposures not previously available to most investors. Only ETFs with inception dates after Dec. 31, 2017 are eligible. ETF must be classified as “Active per SEC” by FactSet to qualify.
Thematic ETF of the Year – 2018
Awarded to the most important “thematic” ETF of 2018, as measured by its ability to capture important macro plays that can lead to specific portfolio outcomes.
Note: There is no requirement for this award regarding when this fund was launched.
Best New ESG ETF – 2018
Awarded to the most important ESG ETF launched in 2018.
Note: Importance is measured by the overall contribution to positive investor outcomes. The award may recognize ETFs that open new areas of the market, lower costs, drive risk-adjusted performance or provide innovative exposures not previously available to most investors. Only ETFs with inception dates after Dec. 31, 2017 are eligible.
ETF Issuer of the Year – 2018
Awarded to the ETF issuer that has done the most to improve investor outcomes through product introductions, product performance, fund management, asset gathering, investor support and innovation in 2018.
Most Innovative ETF Issuer of the Year – 2018
Awarded to the ETF provider that has launched the most innovative and groundbreaking group of ETFs in 2018.
New ETF Issuer of the Year – 2018
Awarded to the new ETF issuer that has done the most to improve investor outcomes through product introductions, product performance, fund management, investor support and innovation. Issuer must have launched its first ETF in 2018. ETF.com considers “issuer” to mean the “brand” of the ETF, as classified by FactSet.
Index Provider of the Year – 2018
Awarded to the index provider that has done the most to improve investor outcomes through index introductions, research, advisor support and more.
Index of the Year – 2018
Awarded to the index that has done the most to provide new ways of considering investment strategies, opportunities or ideas.
ETF Liquidity Provider of the Year – 2018
Awarded to the ETF liquidity provider (including market maker, authorized participant, agency broker, etc.) that has done the most to improve investor outcomes through education, support, services, innovation and outreach.
ETF Custodian of the Year – 2018
Awarded to the ETF custodial firm offering the best and most innovative service to clients.
Best Online Broker for ETF-Focused Investors – 2018
Awarded to the online brokerage offering the best package for ETF-focused investors. This award will consider commission-free trading options, education materials, supporting services and other factors.
Best ETF Platform - 2018
Awarded to the wirehouse, broker-dealer, online platform or other service provider that offer its reps and advisors—or individual investors—the best total offering in the ETF space, including research, data, tools, trading capabilities and education.
Best ETF Issuer Website – 2018
Awarded to the most informative and user-friendly website of an ETF issuer.
Best Index Provider Website – 2018
Awarded to the most informative and user-friendly website by an index provider.
Best ETF Issuer Capital Markets Desk – 2018
Awarded to the ETF issuer providing the most useful support to advisors for ETF trading.
ETF Investor of the Year – 2018
Awarded to the ETF strategist, model portfolio provider, automated investment service or institutional investor that has done the most to improve investor outcomes in 2018. This can include novel approaches, education, results and advocacy. This category especially benefits from any extended explanation or evidence you can share.
ETF Law Firm of the Year – 2018
Awarded annually to the law firm that has done the most to push the ETF industry forward, including driving new and innovative products through the SEC, advocating for the industry and the rights of investors, and improving outcomes for investors.
New ETF Ticker of the Year – 2018
Awarded to the ETF with the best new ETF ticker. The ETF must have launched in 2018 to qualify.
Enter your nominations here.
