What information should I submit?
‘Brief and to the point’ is probably the best piece of advice we can offer. That means a maximum of 500 words per category you are submitting. Furthermore, we require you to send us individual submissions for each category. Finally, all submissions need to be sent in PDF format.
As to what goes into each submission, our key requirement is that you only submit information that is relevant to the category you are applying for and make it clear why your submission is relevant.
We also ask you to be as detailed as possible – mentioning asset/fund names, counterparties, relevant dates, etc – and to clearly label what is confidential about your submissions, otherwise we reserve the right to use the content you submit in our write-ups.
What goes into our categories?
It probably goes without saying but 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. To use a deal example, we don’t just nominate the biggest deals of the year – though of course those will feature – but we also look for transactions that are unique in some fashion.
We can, however, give you some pointers based on the broad categories:
Fund Manager 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.
Fundraising of the Year: In this category, we are only looking at fundraising processes which have reached a final close within the 12-month period under consideration. Fundraisings that have started or are still underway will not be considered. Regional fundraisings will consider whether a fund will invest a significant portion of its capital in the region for which it is being nominated, as well as its ability to attract LPs from that region. Global fundraisings will measure a fund’s ability to invest and attract LPs from across the globe.
Deal of the Year: At the project and M&A level, only deals that have achieved financial close will be considered – we will not consider deals in any other stage of the process. Commitments to platforms are trickier, since we accept not all of the funds raised or announced will be disbursed in the 12-month period under consideration. However, we feel the time of announcement should determine eligibility, taking into account that disbursements will take place over many years and we won’t necessarily have visibility into yearly disbursements.
Natural Capital Fund Manager of the Year: Natural capital is a term that has come to describe the farmland and timberland assets as a whole, as well as the emerging subsectors within these asset classes such as carbon credits, biodiversity, ocean rehabilitation and so more. For this category, we are interested in the latter – we want to know about projects, strategies and initiatives that are restoring natural capital by developing sound investment structures whose positive impacts stands up to scientific scrutiny.
How does Agri Investor draw up its shortlists?
Our shortlists are up based on two main factors – submissions from the industry, which we will call for every year; and the editorial team’s expertise, drawn from our coverage and conversations with sources. These form the basis for our considered selection process, which takes place between the end of our call for submissions and the start of voting.
Our shortlists are independently compiled and nominated by our editorial team – we don’t rely on judges’ panels.
What are the deadlines?
Entries close December 31 2023.
For anything else and if you experience any technical difficulties using the submissions form, please send an email directly to this address.
Good Luck!
