Nominations Open For 2017 ETF.com Awards

2017 is shattering all records for the ETF industry. Investors poured $423 billion in net new money into ETFs through November, crushing all previous full-year totals.

Asset management giants continued to enter the space in droves, ETF fee wars heated up, active funds started to matter and the factor revolution accelerated. Amidst it all, the opportunity for investors to build better portfolios than ever before continues to increase.

In an effort to recognize the people, companies and products moving this industry forward, Inside ETFs and ETF.com 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. 4, 2017 and close Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2018.

Winners in each category will be announced at the ETF.com Awards Dinner, taking place March 22, 2018, at Chelsea Piers, Pier 61, in New York. Winners will also be announced on the www.etf.com website on March 23, 2017, and in the April 2018 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. 4, 2017, and closes Jan.2, 2018. 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, 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. 3, 2017.

2017 Nominating Committee

Matt Hougan, CEO, Inside ETFs (Chair)

Paul Britt, Senior Analyst, FactSet

Elisabeth Kashner, Director of ETF Research, FactSet

Dave Nadig, CEO, 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.

2017 Awards Selection Committee

Kim Arthur, Main Management

Eric Balchunas, Bloomberg Intelligence

Ben Blaisdell, US Trust

Rob Glownia, RiverFront

Tom Lydon, ETFtrends.com

Phil Mackintosh, Virtu

Tyler Mordy, Forstrong Global Asset Management

Jason Nicastro, LPL Financial

Todd Rosenbluth, CFRA

Jim Wiandt, Industry Expert

Voting will be complete by Jan. 12, 2018, but results will be kept secret until they are announced at the ETF.com Awards Dinner on March 22, 2018.

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 – 2017

Awarded to the ETF that has done the most to improve investor opportunities and outcomes in 2017, 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 – 2017

Awarded to the most important ETF launched in 2017.

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, 2016, are eligible.

Most Innovative New ETF – 2017

Awarded to the most groundbreaking and disruptive ETF launched in 2017. 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 – 2017

Awarded to the most important U.S. equity ETF launched in 2017.

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, 2016, are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as a U.S. Equity ETF to qualify.

Best New International/Global Equity ETF – 2017

Awarded to the most important international or global equity ETF launched in 2017.

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, 2016, 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 – 2017

Awarded to the most important fixed-income ETF launched in 2017.

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, 2016, are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as a U.S. Fixed-Income ETF to qualify.

Best New International/Global Fixed-Income ETF – 2017

Awarded to the most important international or global fixed-income ETF launched in 2017.

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 December 31, 2016, 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 – 2017

Awarded to the most important commodity ETF launched in 2017.

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, 2016, are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as a Commodity ETF to qualify.

Best New Currency ETF – 2017

Awarded to the most important currency ETF launched in 2017.

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, 2016, are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as a Currency ETF to qualify.

Best New Alternatives ETF – 2017

Awarded to the most important alternatives ETF launched in 2017.

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, 2016, are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as an Alternatives ETF to qualify.

Best New Asset Allocation ETF – 2017

Awarded to the most important ETF launched in 2017 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, 2016, are eligible. ETF must be classified by FactSet as an Asset Allocation ETF to qualify.

Best New Smart-Beta or Factor ETF – 2017

Awarded to the most important new ETF launched in 2017, 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, 2016, 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 – 2017

Awarded to the most important new actively managed ETF launched in 2017, 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, 2016, are eligible. ETF must be classified as “Active per SEC” by FactSet to qualify.

Thematic ETF of the Year – 2017

Awarded to the most important “thematic” ETF of 2017, 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 – 2017

Awarded to the most important ESG ETF launched in 2017.

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, 2016, are eligible.

ETF Issuer of the Year – 2017

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 2017.

Most Innovative ETF Issuer of the Year – 2017

Awarded to the ETF provider that has launched the most innovative and groundbreaking group of ETFs in 2017.

New ETF Issuer of the Year – 2017

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 2017. ETF.com considers “issuer” to mean the “brand” of the ETF, as classified by FactSet.

Index Provider of the Year – 2017

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 – 2017
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 – 2017

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 – 2017

Awarded to the ETF custodial firm offering the best and most innovative service to clients.

Best Online Broker for ETF-Focused Investors – 2017

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 – 2017

Awarded to the wirehouse, broker-dealer or other service provider that offers its reps and advisors the best total offering in the ETF space, including research, data, tools, trading capabilities and education.

Best ETF Issuer Website – 2017

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

Best Index Provider Website – 2017

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

Best ETF Issuer Capital Markets Desk – 2017

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

ETF Strategist of the Year – 2017

Awarded to the ETF strategist or model portfolio provider that has done the most to improve investor outcomes in 2017. Automated investment services are eligible for this award, as they provide managed portfolios en masse to investors.

Note: Automated investment services are eligible for this award, as they provide managed portfolios en masse to investors.

ETF Law Firm of the Year – 2017

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.

ETF Investor of the Year – 2017

Awarded to a financial advisor, advisor team or institutional investor that is using ETFs to deliver high-quality portfolios in an innovative way.

New ETF Ticker of the Year – 2017
Awarded to the ETF with the best new ETF ticker. The ETF must have launched in 2017 to qualify.