When entering the 2016 Awards, please read through the following criteria for your chosen category(ies), which explains what the judging panel will be looking for when they judge the entries and select the winners.

Best valuation service
This award is designed to reward administration firms, and others providing third-party valuation services, that have shown growth and innovation over the course of the last twelve months in serving the needs of CTA managers. Success in this category depends on a mixture of customer and revenue growth, as well as detailing product/brand development that demonstrates new thinking and which displays significant success.

Criteria:
• Commercial success and business growth
• Sales/market share figures
• Demonstration of product innovation and description of how market responded to the idea
• Description of future development possibilities
• Positive customer feedback via submitted testimonials


Best administrator - overall
This award is designed to reward fund administration firms that have shown true growth and innovation over the course of the last twelve months. Success in this category depends on a mixture of customer and revenue growth, as well as new product or brand development that demonstrated new thinking and which can boast significant success.

Criteria:
• Commercial success and business growth
• Sales/market share figures
• Demonstration of product innovation and description of how market responded to the idea
• Description of future development possibilities
• Positive customer feedback via submitted testimonials

Best administrator - client service
This award is designed to reward fund administration firms, catering to CTAs, that have managed to consistently exceed the service expectation of their client base. Success in this category depends on providing key examples, backed up by customer testimonials, of how the administration firm has delivered a high level of customer service.

Criteria:
• Details of approach to customer service
• Examples of problem solving on complex issues
• Positive customer feedback via submitted testimonials

Best administrator - innovation

This award is designed to reward administration firms, with CTA clients, that have shown excellence and innovation in developing existing and new services for clients. Success in this category depends on providing examples of how new products and services have contributed to the growth of the firm and improved the customer experience.

Criteria:
• Commercial success and business growth
• Sales/market share figures
• Demonstration of product innovation
• Description of future development possibilities
• Positive customer feedback via submitted testimonials


Best futures commission merchant - client service

This award is designed to honour the FCM that has shown genuine commitment to customer service. Success in this category depends on providing examples of how the firm has been particularly responsive and innovative in meeting customer need, as well as detailing examples of where providing an added value service has made a real difference to the business development of CTA management firms.

Criteria:
• Commercial success and business growth
• Description of high-level of client service
• Examples of key areas of recent advice and where this has made a difference
• Positive customer feedback via submitted testimonials

Best future commission merchant – innovation

This award is designed to honour the FCM that has been able to show real excellence in improving its offering over the last twelve months. Success in this category depends on demonstrating how significant improvements to a core service, or the launch of a new product, have improved the firm’s ability to accept orders to buy or sell futures contracts, options on futures, retail off-exchange forex contracts or swaps. Firms who have also offered new, or developed existing, non-core services (e.g a cap intro offering) for clients will also be considered in this category.

Criteria:
Commercial success and business growth
Description of high-level of client service
Examples of how a new or existing service has added to user experience of clients
Positive customer feedback via submitted testimonials

Best boutique futures commission merchant
This award is designed to honour the best boutique FCM. Success in this category depends on demonstrating how technical expertise and excellent customer service have benefited clients and enabled the FCM to effectively compete against larger players in this field.

Criteria:
Commercial success and business growth
Description of high-level of client service
Examples of how a new or existing service has added to user experience of clients
Positive customer feedback via submitted testimonials

Best overall futures commission merchant

This award is designed to honour the FCM that has demonstrated consistency and skill across the whole of its organisation. Success in this category depends on demonstrating a wide skill-set that illustrates strength across all of the FCM’s core areas of service, as well as a commitment to innovation and customer service.

Criteria:

• Commercial success and business growth
• Description of high-level of client service and innovation
• Positive customer feedback via submitted testimonials

Best data and Information provider

This accolade is designed to honour the firm that provides the most genuinely comprehensive, innovative and useful data to the CTA space. Success in this category depends on demonstrating how useful the information is to clients, how easy it is to leverage and render into bespoke reports and the efficiency of the delivery mechanism.

Criteria:

• Commercial success and business growth
• Description of high-level of client service
• Examples of how a new or existing service has added to user experience of clients
• Positive customer feedback via submitted testimonials


Best trading and execution software provider

This award is designed to reward technology providers and trading platforms that have shown growth and innovation in providing traders, portfolio and risk managers with the ability to execute trades, manage their portfolio and make real time decisions. Success in this category depends on a mixture of customer and revenue growth, as well as product or brand development that demonstrates new thinking and which can boast significant success and positive customer feedback.

Criteria:
• Commercial success and business growth
• Demonstration of increase in CTA clients
• Demonstration of product innovation
• Description of future development possibilities
• Positive customer feedback via submitted testimonials

Best exchange – overall

This award is designed to award futures exchanges that offer the widest range of products across all major asset classes, including futures and options based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural commodities, metals, weather and real estate. As well as the exchange’s range of instruments, the judges will also consider the quality of each exchange’s technology platform, as well as its ability to innovate and meet customer need.

Criteria:
• Commercial success and business growth
• Demonstration of increase in CTA clients
• Demonstration of product innovation
• Description of future development possibilities
• Positive customer feedback via submitted testimonials

Best exchange – innovation

This award is designed to honour the futures exchange that has been able to show real excellence in improving its offering over the last twelve months. Success in this category depends on demonstrating how significant improvements to a core service, or a new offering, have significantly benefited customers.