• * Annual M&A Advisor Awards
• * Annual Turnaround Awards
• * Annual International M&A Awards
• * Annual Emerging Leaders Awards

• Submit nominations in the following classifications:
  

  Firm Award Category Accounting/Due Diligence Firm of the Year Boutique Investment Banking Firm of the Year Investment Banking Firm of the Year Law Firm of the Year Lender Firm of the Year Valuation Firm of the Year Communications Firm of the Year Strategic Corporation of the Year Private Equity Firm of the Year Consulting Firm of the Year   Professional Award Category Corporate Development Professional of the Year Investment Banker of the Year Legal Advisor of the Year Lender Professional of the Year Private Equity Professional of the Year Service Professional of the Year Business Development Professional of the Year Turnaround Product/Service Award Category  Product/Service of the Year EACH NOMINATED DEAL MAY BE SUBMITTED IN MULTIPLE CATEGORIES FROM AMONG THE FOLLOWING: M&A Transaction Award Category Distressed M&A Deal of the Year Divestiture Deal of the Year Sec. 363 Sale of the Year Refinancing Award Category Refinancing of the Year Restructuring Award Category Restructuring Deal of the Year Cross-Border Restructuring of the Year Restructuring Community Impact Award Chapter 11 Reorganization of the Year Out-of-Court Restructuring of the Year  Turnaround Award    Sector Award Category Consumer Discretionary Deal of the Year Sub-sectors spans Autos & Components (manufacturers, parts, motorcycles), Durables & Apparel (homebuilding, appliances, luxury goods), Consumer Services (education, specialty services), Retail (e-commerce, specialty, multiline), and Leisure (casinos, hotels, restaurants) Consumer Staples Deal of the Year, Sub-sectors include Food & Staples Retailing (grocers, drugstores, distributors), Beverages (soft drinks, alcohol), Food Products (packaged foods, ag products), Household & Personal Products, and Tobacco Energy Deal of the Year Sub-sectors include Oil & Gas Exploration, Integrated Oil & Gas, Refining & Marketing, Equipment & Services, and Coal & Consumable Fuels Financials Deal of the Year Sub-sectors feature Banks (diversified, regional), Diversified Financials (asset management, consumer finance, investment banking), Insurance (life, property, multi-line, reinsurance, brokers), and Mortgage REITs Healthcare/Life Sciences Deal of the Year Sub-sectors consist of Equipment & Services (supplies, distributors, services, managed care), and Life Sciences (biotech, pharmaceuticals, tools & services) Industrials Deal of the Year Sub-sectors include Capital Goods (aerospace & defense, building products, engineering, electrical equipment, machinery, conglomerates), Commercial & Professional Services (staffing, security, environmental, printing), and Transportation (air freight, airlines, marine, road & rail, infrastructure) Information Technology Deal of the Year Sub-sectors include IT Services (consulting, processing), Software (application, systems, entertainment), Hardware & Equipment (communications, computers, components, distributors), and Semiconductors Materials Deal of the Year Sub-sectors cover Chemicals (Commodity, Specialty, Fertilizers), Construction Materials, Containers & Packaging, and Metals & Mining (Aluminum, Steel, Gold, Diversified, Precious Metals, Copper), plus Paper & Forest Products Professional Services Deal of the Year (includes business to business services across different sectors and sub-sectors) Real Estate Sub-sectors include REITs (residential, retail, office, industrial, specialized) and Real Estate Management & Development Telecommunication Services Deal of the Year Sub-sectors comprises Telecom (integrated, wireless), Media (broadcasting, cable, publishing, advertising), Entertainment (movies, gaming), and Interactive Media & Services (social media, search) Wireless Communications  Utilities Deal of the Year Sub-sectors include Electric, Gas, Water, and Multi-Utilities, plus Independent and Renewable Power Producers

• An independent committee of M&A, restructuring and refinancing industry business leaders will judge all nominations. The judging will be conducted in a secure datasite using exclusive and trusted technology to ensure that all eligible nominations are processed and evaluated securely and confidentially.  

  Judging Criteria  

  a. Restructuring Deal of the Year, M&A Transaction of the Year, Refinancing of the Year, and/or Sector Deal of the Year submissions will be judged on the following criteria:  

  • Deal profile (30% of the score); 

  • Deal challenges (30% of the score); 

  • Deal benefits (30% of the score); and, 

  • Adherence to nomination form instructions and to the 250 words limit for each question (10% of the score). 

   

  b. Firm of the Year submissions will be judged on the following criteria:  

  • Firm’s profile (10% of the score); 

  • Firm’s unique attributes (40% of the score); 

  • Firm’s industry impact (40% of the score); and, 

  • Adherence to nomination form instructions and to the 250 words limit for each question (10% of the score). 

   

  c. Turnaround Product/Service of the Year submissions will be judged on the following criteria:  

  • Turnaround Product/Service’s profile (30% of the score); 

  • Turnaround Product/Service’s benefits and unique attributes (30% of the score); 

  • Turnaround Product/Service’s market share, growth trajectory, and industry impact (30% of the score); and,  

  • Adherence to nomination form instructions and to the 250 words limit for each question (10% of the score). 

   

   

  d. Professional of the Year submissions will be judged on the following criteria:  

  • Professional’s profile (30% of the score); 

  • Professional’s activity (30% of the score);  

  • Professionals’ unique attributes and industry impact (30% of the score); and, 

  • Adherence to nomination form instructions and to the 250 words limit for each question (10% of the score).

The M&A Advisor and its independent judges will maintain the strictest confidentiality for all entries. Upon the selection of Award Finalists and Winners, only the transaction name, product/service name, professional, and firm names will be publicized. While there may be a dollar range specified for transactions, financing, and restructuring awards categories, the actual value will not be published at any time.