Structured Products Americas Awards 2016: call for entries

Entries for the tenth annual Structured Products Americas Awards are now open.

For 2016, there are two new awards: one for exchange operators and another to recognise an individual's outstanding contribution to the structured products industry. The awards are judged by our specialist editorial team on the strength of pitches and nominations, follow-up interviews and, most importantly, client feedback.

Firms will be required to submit a pitch document detailing why they should win a given category. Specific details for each category can be found at www.structuredproductsawards.com/america. Entries close on Friday, 26 February.

Nominees will then be interviewed by our editorial team. Please note that all pitch documents and initial interviews for this year's Structured Products Awards will be treated as off the record. We believe that running the awards on this basis gives entrants the best opportunity to showcase everything they're most proud of from the past 12 months – be it landmark deals, client wins or the successful navigation of a thorny risk management problem – in the knowledge that non-public information on those deals will not be disclosed without your permission. In turn, it gives our editorial panel a chance to reward entrants on the basis of a greater breadth of information.

The pitch documents can be structured as you wish, but should include: milestones from the previous 12 months, including key metrics such as revenue statistics, issuance volumes or assets under management; a thematic discussion of the firm's achievements over that time; and case studies that demonstrate how particular problems were overcome, how a certain deal was structured, or where you believe outstanding client service was provided.

The pitch is just a first chance to put your story across, and should not be so detailed that it becomes a disincentive to enter. As a rule of thumb, between six and 12 pages represents an optimum length. Please bear in mind also that the pitch documents alone will not win you anything; the interviews that follow during March and April – which will also be conducted on an off-the-record basis – are more important, as is feedback from your clients.

Please aim to include the details (names, email addresses, phone numbers) of at least six clients who are happy to be contacted to discuss the work you did with them over the past 12 months. As with the submissions themselves, the details of client calls will be treated as strictly off the record.

Categories

A few notes on the categories: the new outstanding contribution of the year award is targeted at a senior individual who has made a significant contribution to the structured products industry in the Americas over the past 12 months or more. The category is open to individuals from issuers, trade associations, law firms, advisers, exchange and CCP operators and buy-side firms. Nominations can be made by the candidates themselves, by colleagues, or by employers and customers. Nominations should outline why the individual should win the award and demonstrate the contribution he or she has made to the industry, and may be emailed privately to the editorial team.

For the new exchange operator of the year award, we welcome submissions that include details of new exchange-traded product and broader equity derivatives listings, improvements in technology, trading volumes, OTC clearing activity and regulatory engagement.

The house awards in North America and Latin America will be judged on the strength in depth – and breadth – of a structurer across the relevant region. Firms may pitch for the institutional investor of the year award themselves, but respondents to other categories are invited to nominate a buy-side firm who fits the bill – we'd really value your opinion.

Once again, entries close on Friday, 26 February. Please direct any queries with regards to entries to Tom.Osborn@incisivemedia.com

The very best of luck to all of this year's entrants.