Celebrating the best in class in secondaries is nothing new for the Secondaries Investor editorial team. Since 2004, via affiliate title Private Equity International‘s PEI Awards, we’ve delighted in taking time out at the end of each year from our market coverage to look through which market participants have had a stellar year. Over time, these celebrations have spanned firm, deal, adviser and law firm of the year categories.
These categories now make up the Secondaries Investor Awards – the first time these categories stand under this publication’s banner.
As readers may know, various PEI Group publications have made changes to the Awards voting process this year, and this applies to the Secondaries Investor Awards as well. The winners and runners up in each category will not be decided by popular vote; instead, they will be decided by the same judging panel of Secondaries Investor and Private Equity International senior editorial members who previously focused on producing the shortlists.
You can read more about the decision to remove the voting process here.
Importantly, we have split the Deal of the Year categories into LP-led and GP-led transactions to better reflect the gap between these two divergent parts of the market.
The nominations process for the Secondaries Investor Awards remains the same as that of the PEI Awards in previous years. Click HERE to remind us of your firm’s achievements over the past 12 months – the deadline is Friday, 15 November 2024.
Our judging panel, comprising senior members of PEI Group’s global editorial teams, will draw up the list of winners and runners up in November and December based on your submissions and by canvassing the views of colleagues and contacts in the market to find out which firms, institutions, funds and exits stood out during the year. You can read bios of our judging panel here.
Frequently asked questions
When do I need to submit information?
The deadline for submissions is Friday, 15 November 2024. Entries must be submitted by 23:59 ET.
How much information should I submit?
There is a 5,000 character (roughly 500 words) limit on submissions via the text box.
What information is useful?
This is an annual awards process, so information relating to your organisation’s activity over the past 12 months – from 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2024 – is key. Think about useful metrics: if you are an adviser, how many transactions have you advised on and how much capital was raised? Which GPs or LPs have you worked with? If you are a GP, how active have you been in terms of investments? What returns have you generated and have you had some fundraising success?
Avoid unsupported general statements (“we have had another busy year/we are a leading firm”).
Brief and to the point is probably the best piece of advice we can offer. You can make multiple submissions for multiple categories in one go using our submissions form. Alternatively, you are welcome to make individual submissions for each category using the form.
Where do I submit?
Here.
Can I submit confidential information?
You can; please mark it as strictly confidential. It will then be taken into consideration and not published.
What are the categories?
Please see the full list below.
What goes into the categories?
All award nominations are inherently subjective. Our choices take into account a mixture of qualitative and quantitative criteria, including non-financial considerations, when selecting what goes into each category. We are looking for evidence of how active, but also how innovative, a firm has been. For example, we don’t just look at the biggest deals or exits of the year – though these may well feature – we also look for transactions that are unique in some way.
Here are some pointers based on the Firm category:
Firm of the Year: This category tries to capture everything of note a manager has done over the preceding 12 months. This includes deals, both on the buy-side and sell-side; funds raised or being raised; and other noteworthy initiatives. We privilege all activities that have closed or reached a conclusion within the 12-month period we are examining, but, unlike in other categories, we will consider initiatives, fundraisings and deals that have started but not yet concluded.
Can I submit multiple entries?
Yes. You can use the submissions form to submit for multiple categories in one go. You are also welcome to make multiple submissions for each category if you prefer. If the information supplied is applicable to two or more categories, then please duplicate the same entry.
How are the winners decided?
The winners and runners up are based on two main factors: submissions from the industry, which we call for every year; and the editorial team’s expertise, drawn from our coverage and conversations with sources.
The winners and runners up are independently compiled by our editorial team – we don’t rely on external judges’ panels. You can read bios of the judges here.
Is there a cost for submitting?
There are no costs associated with submitting for the Secondaries Investor Awards.
What are the key dates?
- Tuesday, 29 October: call for submissions
- Friday, 15 November: deadline for submissions
- Q1 2025: award winners and runners up announced online, as well as in the PEI March Annual Review
The categories in full:
AMERICAS
- Secondaries Firm of the Year in the Americas
- Secondaries Adviser of the Year in the Americas
- Secondaries Law Firm of the Year in the Americas
- GP-led Deal of the Year in the Americas
- LP-led Deal of the Year in the Americas
EMEA
- Secondaries Firm of the Year in EMEA
- Secondaries Adviser of the Year in EMEA
- Secondaries Law Firm of the Year in EMEA
- GP-led deal of the Year in EMEA
- LP-led deal of the Year in EMEA
ASIA-PACIFIC
- Secondaries Firm of the Year in Asia-Pacific
- Secondaries Adviser of the Year in Asia-Pacific
- Secondaries Law Firm of the Year in Asia-Pacific
- GP-led Deal of the Year in Asia-Pacific
- LP-led Deal of the Year in Asia-Pacific
CLICK HERE to access the submission form.
