VOO Nominated for ETF of the Year as It Topples SPY
- VOO recently overtook SPY to become the largest ETF in the world.
- But the new world's No. 1 ETF is up against stiff competition in this year's awards.
- VOO has certainly earned its nomination.
This is the last in a series of articles previewing the five finalists for ETF of the Year, to be announced in a ceremony April 23 in New York City.
The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) is one of five nominees for ETF of the Year at the 2025 etf.com Awards—and it’s not hard to see why.
Earlier this year, VOO made headlines by overtaking the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) to become the largest ETF in the world. The fund now holds nearly $600 billion in assets, powered by enormous inflows.
A Record-Setting Year
In 2024 alone, VOO pulled in more than $100 billion, a record-breaking sum. And in just the first three-and-a-half months of 2025, it’s already taken in half that amount.
VOO’s ascent speaks to one of the biggest and most enduring themes in the ETF world: the preference for low-cost funds. With an expense ratio of just 0.03%, VOO is one of the cheapest ways to get broad exposure to U.S. stocks.
Just as importantly, the S&P 500 remains the dominant benchmark for U.S. equities and the go-to index for long-term investors building wealth over decades. VOO is positioned squarely as the ETF of choice for that strategy. It’s the default pick for countless individual investors, financial advisors and anyone looking to keep things simple and effective.
But winning ETF of the Year won’t be easy.
VOO Earns Its Nomination
VOO is up against some of the most buzzworthy launches of the past year. The GraniteShares 2x Long NVDA Daily ETF (NVDL) captured the AI boom. The iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) opened the floodgates for crypto ETFs. The Janus Henderson AAA CLO ETF (JAAA) brought investment-grade CLOs to the mainstream. And the Range Nuclear Renaissance Index ETF (NUKZ) tapped into the nuclear energy revival with perfect timing.
In a field packed with niche strategies and headline-grabbing ideas, VOO stands out for a different reason: It's a bedrock of modern portfolios.
Whether that earns it the ETF of the Year crown remains to be seen, but it’s certainly earned its nomination.
