2026 ETF.com Award Nominees

2025 proved a busy year for the ETF industry with over 1,100 launches by year's end. From novel and innovative strategies to sophisticated refinements that increased accessibility for investors, we've narrowed down the selections of ETF launches to a handful of best-in-class for each category. Below you will find the nominees for best ETFs launched this year, which includes a brief blurb as to why each fund made its category's short list. We now leave it to you, our community, to determine which ETFs take the crown. You can vote here for your top picks now through February 15th for the 2026 ETF.com Awards. All votes are confidential. 

Curious about our methodology? You can read more here as to how this year's ETF award nominees were selected, and stay tuned for more in-depth discussions of each category. 

Best New U.S. Equity ETF

• GRNJ - Fundstrat Granny Shots US Small- and Mid-Cap ETF
  • Tom Lee’s proven research framework extended to small/mid-caps
• VUSV - Vanguard Wellington US Value Active ETF
  • Vanguard’s first-ever bottom-up stock picking ETF
• DSPY - Tema S&P 500 Historical Weight ETF Strategy
  • First weighting innovation since RSP in 2003
• TRUT - VanEck Technology TruSector ETF
  • Elegant solution to RIC concentration limits in tech sector
• XDIV - Roundhill S&P 500 No Dividend Target ETF
  • First ETF designed to eliminate distributions entirely

Best New International Equity ETF

• IVES - Dan IVES Wedbush AI Revolution ETF
  • Most-quoted AI analyst’s picks in ETF form with nearly $1B in flows
• VEXC - Vanguard Emerging Markets Ex-China ETF
  • Ultra-low-cost (7bp) EM ex-China from Vanguard
• GPZ - VanEck Alternative Asset Manager ETF
  • Offers pure-play exposure to private equity/venture capital managers
• KDEF - PLUS Korea Defense Industry Index ETF
  • Pure-play Korean defense at a timely geopolitical moment
• IDEQ - Lazard International Dynamic Equity ETF
  • Lazard’s institutional pedigree in ETF form, with over $500 million in AUM

Best New International Fixed Income ETF

• ILS - Brookmont Catastrophic Bond ETF
  • The first-ever U.S.-listed catastrophe bond ETF, opening a new asset class to investors
• XAGG - Eaton Vance Income Opportunities ETF
  • Eaton Vance multi-sector expertise converted to ETF
• CFIT - Cambria Fixed Income Trend ETF
  • Cambria co-founder and CEO Meb Faber’s trend-following applied to fixed income
• VGMS - Vanguard Multi-Sector Income Bond ETF
  • Vanguard enters multi-sector at 30bp, a dramatic price shift within the category
• EMBX - VanEck Emerging Markets Bond ETF
  • VanEck EM bond expertise in the ETF wrapper

Best New Active ETF

• ALLW - SPDR Bridgewater All Weather ETF
  • Ray Dalio’s first-ever ETF, democratizing the All Weather strategy
• CAIE - Calamos Autocallable Income ETF
  • The first autocallable ETF launched in the U.S.
• ORR - Militia Long/Short Equity ETF
  • True hedge fund strategy harnessed in the ETF form, with an expense ratio that reflects real hedge fund costs
• JFLX - JPMorgan Flexible Debt ETF
  • JPMorgan fixed income expertise, accumulating $1 billion in AUM
• CGMM - Capital Group US Small and Mid Cap ETF
  • Capital Group’s first domestic SMID strategy, with over $1.1 billion in AUM

Best New Options Income ETF

Best New Thematic ETF

Best New Multi-Asset ETF

Best New Alternatives ETF

ETF Innovation of the Year

• BSOL - Bitwise Solana Staking ETF
  • First SEC-approved Solana staking ETF, a regulatory breakthrough
• CAIE - Calamos Autocallable Income
  • Innovative product structure, harnessing autocallables in daily-liquid ETF
• RSSX - Return Stacked U.S. Stocks & Gold/Bitcoin ETF
  • Capital efficiency—three assets in one vehicle
• CPAG - F/m Compoundr US Aggregate Bond ETF
  • First accumulating bond ETF in the U.S., bringing structural innovation
• SBIL - Simplify Government Money Market ETF
  • The first true Rule 2a-7 money market fund in the ETF wrapper

Best New ETF

• BSOL - Bitwise Solana Staking ETF
  • First SEC-approved Solana staking ETF, a regulatory breakthrough
• CAIE - Calamos Autocallable Income
  • Innovative product structure, first autocallable ETF
• ALLW - SPDR Bridgewater All Weather ETF
  • Featuring Ray Dalio’s portfolio, hedge fund royalty goes retail
• IVES - Dan IVES Wedbush AI Revolution ETF
  • Most-quoted AI analyst’s picks in ETF form, offering analysts at scale
• ORR - Militia Long/Short Equity ETF
  • A true hedge fund in ETF wrapper with no pretenses

Ready to cast your vote?  You can vote here.