Nominations Open For 2015 ETF.com Awards

Annual event highlights the people and products creating better outcomes for investors.

2015 has been an amazing year for exchange-traded funds. From the rise of currency-hedged ETFs to the growth of smart beta, 2015 has been defined by massive inflows, exciting new launches, fee wars and the entry of major firms like Goldman Sachs and John Hancock into the space.

As the leading independent authority on exchange-traded funds, ETF.com has watched these developments with keen interest. While there are still challenges, overall, the ETF industry is bringing new and better funds, lower fees and exciting opportunities to investors. As a result of this innovation, investors today are fundamentally better off than they were ever before.

In an effort to acknowledge the forces that support this growth, ETF.com annually recognizes at its annual ETF.com Awards Dinner the people, companies and products that are moving the industry forward and helping to create better outcomes for investors.

Nominations for the awards are now being accepted by clicking on this link. 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. 1, and close Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015.

Winners in each category will be announced at the ETF.com Awards Dinner, taking place March 16, 2016, at Chelsea Piers, Pier 61, in New York. Winners will also be announced on the www.etf.com website on March 17, 2016, and in the April 2015 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 an open nominations process, which starts Dec. 1, 2015 and closes Dec. 31, 2015. 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.

Step 2

Following the open nominations process, the ETF.com Awards Nominating Committee—made up of senior leaders at ETF.com and senior members of the FactSet ETF team (whose data powers the ETF.com website)—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. 7, 2016.

Members of the 2015 Nominating Committee:

Matt Hougan, CEO, ETF.com (Chair)

Paul Britt, Senior Analyst, FactSet

Elisabeth Kashner, Director of ETF Research, FactSet

Dave Nadig, Director of ETFs, FactSet

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.

Members of the 2015 Selection Committee:

Kim Arthur, Founding Partner, Main Management

Benjamin Blaisdell, Managing Director & Investment Solutions Executive, US Trust

Rob Glownia, Fixed Income, Riverfront Investment Group

Phil Mackintosh, Managing Director, KCG

Tyler Mordy, President & CIO, Forstrong Global Asset Management

Jason Nicastro, Senior Research Analyst, LPL Financial Research

Jim Wiandt, Founder, ETF.com

Voting will be complete by Jan. 14, 2016, but results will be kept secret until they are announced at the ETF.com Awards Dinner.

AWARD CATEGORIES FOR 2016:

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. Previous winners are not eligible.

ETF of the Year – 2015

Awarded to the ETF that has done the most to improve investor opportunities and outcomes in 2015, by providing access to interesting areas of the market, lowering costs, delivering new exposures or otherwise creating better results for investors. There is no requirement for this award regarding when this fund was launched.

Best New ETF – 2015

Awarded to the most important ETF launched in 2015.

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 Jan. 1, 2015, are eligible.

Most Innovative New ETF – 2015

Awarded to the most groundbreaking and disruptive ETF launched in 2015. 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 – 2015

Awarded to the most important U.S. equity ETF launched in 2015.

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 Jan. 1, 2015, are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as a U.S. Equity ETF to qualify.

Best New International/Global Equity ETF – 2015

Awarded to the most important international or global equity ETF launched in 2015.

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 Jan. 1, 2015, 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 – 2015

Awarded to the most important fixed-income ETF launched in 2015.

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 Jan. 1, 2015, are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as a U.S. Fixed-Income ETF to qualify.

Best New International/Global Fixed-Income ETF – 2015

Awarded to the most important international or global fixed-income ETF launched in 2015.

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 Jan. 1, 2015, 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 – 2015

Awarded to the most important commodity ETF launched in 2015.

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 Jan. 1, 2015, are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as a Commodity ETF to qualify.

Best New Currency ETF – 2015

Awarded to the most important currency ETF launched in 2015.

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 Jan. 1, 2015, are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as a Currency ETF to qualify.

Best New Alternatives ETF – 2015

Awarded to the most important alternatives ETF launched in 2015.

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 Jan. 1, 2015, are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as an Alternatives ETF to qualify.

Best New Asset Allocation ETF – 2015

Awarded to the most important ETF launched in 2015 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 Jan. 1, 2015, are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as an Asset Allocation ETF to qualify.

Best New Smart-Beta or Factor ETF – 2015

Awarded to the most important new ETF launched in 2015, 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 Jan. 1, 2015, 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.)

ETF Issuer of the Year – 2015

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 2015.

Most Innovative ETF Issuer of the Year – 2015

Awarded to the ETF provider that has launched the most innovative and groundbreaking group of ETFs in 2015.

New ETF Issuer of the Year – 2015

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. Issuers must have launched their first ETF in 2015. ETF considers “issuer” to mean the “brand” of the ETF, as classified by FactSet.

Index Provider of the Year – 2015

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 – 2015
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 – 2015

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.

Best Online Broker for ETF-Focused Investors – 2015

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 Offering: Wirehouse Category – 2015

Awarded to the wirehouse that offer its reps and advisors the best total offering in the ETF space, including research, data, tools, trading capabilities and education.

Best ETF Offering: Independent Broker-Dealer Category – 2015

Awarded to the independent broker-dealer offering its reps and advisors the best total offering in the ETF space, including research, data, tools, trading capabilities and education.

Best ETF Research Paper – 2015

Awarded to the published paper from 2015 that most increased our understanding of how ETFs and/or index-based investments affect investor outcomes, whether in portfolios, markets or broader economic context.

Best ETF Issuer Website – 2015

Awarded to the most informative and user-friendly website by an ETF issuer.

Best Index Provider Website – 2015

Awarded to the most informative and user-friendly website by an index provider.

Best ETF Issuer Capital Markets Desk – 2015

Awarded to the ETF issuer providing the most useful support to advisors for ETF trading.

ETF Strategist of the Year – 2015

Awarded to the ETF strategist or model portfolio provider that has done the most to improve investor outcomes in the previous year. Automated investment services are eligible for this award, as they provide managed portfolios en masse to investors.

New ETF Ticker of the Year – 2015
Awarded to the ETF with the best new ETF ticker. The ETF must have launched in 2015 to qualify.

ETF Advisor of the Year – 2015

Awarded to an individual financial advisor or advisor team that is using ETFs to deliver high-quality portfolios to clients in an innovative way.

Institutional ETF User of the Year – 2015

Awarded to an institutional investor that is using ETFs to deliver high-quality portfolios in an innovative way.