CATEGORIES


Submit an entry to showcase your achievements and position your business as a leader in the field. View the categories and criteria below. Our judges will review all entries and compile a shortlist.

All entries are free and please read the Entry Process, Rules and Guidelines and Entry FAQs for more information.

If you have any queries, please get in touch with Megan Trappitt.

ADVISER CATEGORIES 

This category recognises directly authorised UK financial advice firms that have excelled in both business and client service performance during the past 12 months. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years, must be UK regulated and must have a minimum of six registered individuals. They may offer either an independent or a restricted advice model.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Advice firm of the year

Entrants should:
1. Demonstrate proven expertise across a broad range of financial advice solutions.
2. Explain how they have coped with both market and regulatory challenges.
3. Show how they have improved the advice service offered to clients.
4. Provide details of how they have ensured or improved the training and competence of their financial planning team."

This category recognises the adviser academies or schools of UK-regulated financial advice firms with fewer than 200 advisers, which have excelled in bringing new blood into the profession during the past 12 months. With the average age of UK advisers being over 50, it is essential to recruit new talent to alleviate capacity issues and help ensure that current and future clients will have someone to look after them. Entrants’ academy or school must have existed for at least 12 months.

Please note, the size limit for this category refers to the firm, not the academy.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best financial adviser academy (fewer than 200 advisers)

Entrants should:
1. Provide evidence of the breadth and scope of their learning programme.
2. Demonstrate scale by supplying the number of graduates who pass through their academy/school each year and gain a Level 4 qualification.
3. Supply evidence of the retention rate, or success rate for finding employment, for their Level 4 graduates.
4. Provide case studies of the best candidates during the past 12 months.
5. Demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

This category recognises the adviser academies or schools of UK-regulated financial advice firms with 200 advisers or more, which have excelled in bringing new blood into the profession during the past 12 months. With the average age of UK advisers being over 50, it is essential to recruit new talent to alleviate capacity issues and help ensure that current and future clients will have someone to look after them. Entrants’ academy or school must have existed for at least 12 months.

Please note, the size limit for this category refers to the firm, not the academy.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best financial adviser academy (200 advisers and above)

Entrants should:
1. Provide evidence of the breadth and scope of their learning programme.
2. Demonstrate scale by supplying the number of graduates who pass through their academy/school each year and gain a Level 4 qualification.
3. Supply evidence of the retention rate, or success rate for finding employment, for their Level 4 graduates.
4. Provide case studies of the best candidates during the past 12 months.
5. Demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

This category recognises UK financial advice firms with an excellent record of providing investment advice and/or investment management services to clients during the past 12 months. This could include advisory or discretionary client mandates, model portfolio services and centralised investment propositions run by the advice firm with a minimum of three years of performance. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years, must be UK regulated and must have a minimum of two registered individuals.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best investment advice firm

Entrants should:
1. Demonstrate proven expertise across a broad range of investment management solutions.
2. Show how they have improved the advice and services offered to clients of differing risk profiles and investment outcomes during the past 12 months, including, where possible, evidence of client satisfaction.
3. Explain how they access and monitor investment research and run investment selection for their investment solutions.
4. Provide details of how they monitor markets, make asset allocation decisions and inform their clients of changes in the market.

This category recognises UK financial advice firms that have excelled in operating as a network for their appointed representatives over the past 12 months. Judges will look for evidence of strong governance, high-quality compliance support, effective technology infrastructure and a clear commitment to adviser development and service standards. Entrants should have existed for at least two years and must be UK regulated.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best network

Entrants should:
1. Illustrate their proven expertise across an extensive range of financial advice solutions on behalf of their appointed representatives.
2. Outline their services and explain how they have helped members cope with regulatory, policy, market and business challenges.
3. Demonstrate how they have improved services offered to member firms, including, where possible, evidence of satisfaction.
4. Provide details of how they have helped improve the training and competence of members.

This category recognises UK financial advice firms and specialist providers that have excelled in the provision of paraplanning at a firm level during the past 12 months. The paraplanning service can be provided as part of an in-house team or as an outsourced service. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years.

Please note, this category is not open to individuals.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best paraplanning service

Entrants should:
1. Demonstrate proven expertise in the provision of their paraplanning services, including technical and research skills.
2. Explain how they have coped with market and regulatory challenges.
3. Demonstrate how they have improved the advice and services offered to clients in relation to paraplanning, including, where possible, evidence of satisfaction.
4. Provide details of how they have ensured or improved the training and competence of their financial planning team in this area.

This category recognises UK financial advice firms with an excellent record in the provision of protection advice to clients over the past 12 months. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years, must be UK regulated and must have a minimum of two registered individuals.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best protection advice firm

Entrants should:
1. Illustrate their proven expertise in the protection market.
2. Explain how they have coped with market and regulatory challenges.
3. Show how they have improved their advice and services offered to clients in relation to protection, including, where possible, evidence of satisfaction.
4. Provide details of how they have ensured or improved the training and competence of their financial planning team in this area.

This category recognises UK financial advice firms that have demonstrated excellence in the accumulation, decumulation and at-retirement phases of their advice proposition to clients during the past 12 months. Entrants should have existed for at least two years, must be UK regulated and must have a minimum of two registered individuals.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best retirement advice firm

Entrants should:
1. Demonstrate proven expertise across the accumulation, decumulation and at-retirement phases of their proposition.
2. Explain how they have coped with market and regulatory challenges.
3. Show how they have improved the retirement advice proposition offered to clients, including, where possible, evidence of satisfaction.
4. Provide details of how they have ensured or improved the training and competence of their financial planning team in this area.

This category recognises UK-regulated financial services firms that have gone 'above and beyond' in their efforts to help others over the past 12 months. There is no restriction on the size or type of firm. The judges will simply be looking for a genuine commitment to charitable endeavour. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Charity champion of the year

Entrants should:
1. Explain the full range of efforts they have made to support charities.
2. Illustrate the impact their work has had on the target audience.
3. Demonstrate that their endeavour goes above and beyond what may be considered 'business as usual'.
4. Show how they embed a charitable ethos across their firm’s culture.

This category recognises UK financial advice firms that have displayed an innovative approach to financial planning during the past 12 months by leveraging technology, modern business practices and a client-centric attitude. Traditional face-to-face, digital and robo-advice propositions will all be considered. There is no size restriction for firms, but entrants should have existed for at least two years and must be UK regulated.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Next generation advice firm of the year

Entrants should:
1. Illustrate how their business stands out as a next-generation advice firm. This could include how they charge and fee transparency, how they recruit and train young staff, and their commitment to diversity and community involvement.
2. Demonstrate a holistic approach to financial planning, considering a client’s overall financial situation, goals and lifestyle, as well as expanding their advice offering to new clients.
3. Provide evidence of their technology integration to enhance decision-making processes and personalised advice.
4. Demonstrate how their use of technology has provided a strong online presence and digital platforms for client interactions, mobile apps and user-friendly interfaces.

This category recognises SME UK advice firms who can demonstrate a good track record in providing overall advice to clients as well as a good business record. Entrants should have been in existence for at least 12 months and must be a regulated financial advice firm. They must have no more than five registered individuals.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Small advice firm of the year

Entrants should be able to:
1. Demonstrate proven expertise across the key areas of financial advice – investment, retirement and protection.
2. Show how they have coped with market and regulatory challenges.
3. Provide evidence of excellence in the advice offered to clients. 

PROVIDER CATEGORIES 

This category recognises outstanding providers of technology for UK financial advice firms. The technology can relate to any area of the financial planning process, as long as the provider can illustrate an exemplary level of service for advisers during the past 12 months that has helped them give their clients excellent outcomes. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Adviser technology provider of the year

Entrants should:
1. Outline what their technology is and how it helps advisers.
2. Demonstrate how their solution has improved or developed over the past 12 months.
3. Show how they have maintained great service levels for advisers.
4. Demonstrate how they have exceeded other solutions in the market.

This category recognises providers that have excelled in their commitment to ESG investing that is accessible to UK financial advice firms and their clients. It covers not only product creation but also research and a wider educational message. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years, with performance assessed during the past 12 months.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best ESG provider

Entrants should:
1. Describe how they create and establish ESG products and services, and how they stand out from competitors.
2. Show how they embed and implement the principles of each aspect of ESG – environmental, social and governance – in their own firm.
3. Describe how they encourage advice firms to engage with clients on ESG.
4. Demonstrate a commitment to socially conscious investors.
5. Show evidence of a strong ethos that goes beyond buzzwords and a simple desire to be more sustainable.

*New for 2026*

This category recognises UK financial advice firms, platforms or industry schemes that have developed and delivered a clear, measurable initiative aimed at improving access to financial advice. This may include simplified, targeted or mass-market solutions designed to reach underserved or unadvised consumers. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years. They must be able to demonstrate that the initiative has been active within the past 12 months and is compliant with UK regulation.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best initiative for closing the advice gap

Entrants should:
1. Demonstrate a clear understanding of the advice gap and the specific consumer need the initiative seeks to address.
2. Provide evidence of how the initiative has increased access to advice or guidance for previously underserved client groups.
3. Demonstrate how the initiative balances affordability, regulatory compliance and consumer protection.
4. Show measurable outcomes, such as client engagement, take-up rates or improved financial outcomes, where possible.
5. Explain how the initiative could be scaled, adapted or sustained over time.

*New for 2026*

This category recognises initiatives that support the recruitment, development, retention or progression of financial advisers, helping to address the growing adviser gap in the UK. This may include educational initiatives aimed at career seekers, early careerists and second careerists, graduate programmes, mentoring schemes or internal development frameworks. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years. They must be UK based and able to demonstrate tangible impact within the past 12 months.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best initiative for closing the adviser gap

Entrants should:
1. Demonstrate how the initiative contributes to increasing adviser numbers or strengthening the future adviser pipeline.
2. Provide evidence of investment in training, supervision, competence and professional development.
3. Show how the initiative improves diversity, inclusion or accessibility within the profession, where relevant.
4. Demonstrate measurable outcomes, such as adviser retention, qualification success or progression rates.
5. Explain how the initiative supports high standards of professionalism and consumer outcomes.

This category recognises investment solutions providers that excel in meeting the unique needs of the UK intermediated market through innovation, performance, and client support. Investment solutions are here defined as multi-asset, defined return or guaranteed return solutions widely available to UK financial advisers and should have a minimum performance track record of 3 years.

£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best investment solutions provider

Entrants should be able to: 

  1. Demonstrate commitment to innovation in developing a diverse range of investment solutions tailored for the UK intermediated market, including ESG.
  2. Demonstrate a consistent track record of delivering strong and competitive investment performance over various market conditions.
  3. Detail the provision of robust support and training programmes for financial advisers within the intermediated market.
  4. Show user-friendly platforms and interfaces that facilitate easy access to investment solutions.
  5. Describe implementation of robust risk management strategies to protect investor capital and evidence of clear communication of risk profiles and fee transparency.

This category recognises outstanding outsourced investment management partners for UK financial advice firms. Wealth managers, or DFMs, should be able to demonstrate excellent service provided to advisers during the past 12 months, including breadth of offering, availability, research capabilities, charging and performance. Services include MPS and bespoke portfolios with a minimum performance record of three years.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best outsourced investment manager

Entrants should:
1. Demonstrate outstanding service to financial advisers and their clients, including availability on or off platform.
2. Illustrate how their technical and research expertise has helped construct market-leading portfolios, including how these are matched to attitude to risk as well as client aims and objectives.
3. Provide evidence of how their charging structures are appropriate, including risk-adjusted performance data of portfolios.

This category recognises platforms with the best service levels for UK financial advice firms over the past 12 months. The award is agnostic on the business and charging structures of firms (i.e. whether they are part of a vertically integrated firm or charge on a fixed or percentage basis). It focuses on the platform services offered, from trading functionality to tools that help advisers service clients better and the service levels offered to customers. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best platform

Entrants should:
1. Demonstrate how their platform has surpassed those of their peers over the past 12 months.
2. Show what efforts they have made to incorporate adviser feedback to improve their proposition.
3. Illustrate how their platform charges represent value for money.
4. Describe the innovations they have made to improve the breadth or depth of services.

This category recognises protection providers that have demonstrated a clear commitment to exceptional product development and service standards for UK financial advice firms during the past 12 months. The award is not dependent on the size of firms, nor on the breadth of their offering, but the winner must show dedication and specialism when meeting the protection needs of intermediaries and their clients. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best protection provider

Entrants should:
1. Show how they have improved their proposition during the past 12 months.
2. Demonstrate the robustness of their products, such as through claims rates or service standards data.
3. Provide examples of how they work with advisers to address any problems that occur.
4. Illustrate how their proposition offers value for money and how they promote the value of protection advice more generally.

This category recognises providers that have excelled in their retirement proposition for UK financial advice firms over the past 12 months. The award is agnostic on the key products the firm offers (i.e. whether they are pension wrapped), the structure of the firm (i.e. whether it also provides advice and/or platform services) and the firm’s size. It looks specifically at the nature of the offering for clients in retirement, from service and price to functionality and value. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best retirement provider

Entrants should:
1. Demonstrate how their products and service stand above those of their peers.
2. Show the value of their offering for financial planning teams that advise retirement clients.
3. Illustrate how they have ensured value for money in their products.
4. Demonstrate how they have kept ahead of developments in technology and regulation.

This category recognises support service providers that have demonstrated exceptional service for UK financial advice firms during the past 12 months. Service areas include compliance, recruitment, mentorship, investment consulting, marketing and PR. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best support service provider

Entrants should:
1. Describe their services and how they have helped member firms cope with regulatory, policy, market and business challenges.
2. Demonstrate how they have improved services to member firms, including, where possible, evidence of satisfaction.
3. Provide details of how they have improved the training and competence of members.

*New for 2026*

This category recognises UK financial advice firms that have successfully deployed artificial intelligence to improve efficiency, decision making, client experience or adviser capability. AI use must be embedded in the firm’s operations or advice process and applied in a responsible, transparent and compliant manner. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years. They must be UK regulated and able to evidence live use of AI within the past 12 months.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Best use of AI by an advice firm

Entrants should:
1. Clearly explain how AI is being used within the business and the problem it is designed to solve.
2. Demonstrate how AI has improved adviser productivity, client experience or operational effectiveness.
3. Provide evidence of appropriate governance, controls and oversight around AI use.
4. Show how consumer outcomes, data protection and regulatory expectations are safeguarded.
5. Demonstrate measurable benefits or efficiencies achieved through the use of AI.

This category recognises providers that have given outstanding service to advisers and their clients during the past 12 months, and made exceptional strides in enabling the highest quality of financial planning. Entrants should have been in existence for at least two years. If an entrant has multiple subsidiaries under a parent brand, the parent company should enter for the award.
£ 0.00
You have used the multi-select option by clicking a checkbox.
Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Provider of the year

Entrants should:
1. Demonstrate how they have consistently excelled in helping advisers to give an exceptional financial planning service.
2. Describe how their offering has evolved and improved during the past 12 months.
3. Provide evidence of their success with feedback from advisers and other service-level data.

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT 

The Outstanding Contribution Award recognises an individual whose long-standing impact on the financial advice profession sets them apart. This person will be widely respected for their insight, integrity and leadership, and celebrated for a career of influence - through innovation, mentorship, advocacy or service. Their contribution should reflect a sustained commitment to raising standards, supporting others and championing the value of financial advice across the industry.

Please note: This category is not available to enter. The recipient is nominated by industry peers.
This item is not available