How will my entries be judged?

Stage 1

Once the entry deadline has passed, the IR Impact, formerly IR Magazine, editorial team reviews all submissions and produces the shortlists.

Stage 2

The shortlisted entries are shared with an independent judging panel made up of industry experts.

The judges review each shortlisted entry and select their top two picks per category.

Stage 3

The judges come together to discuss, debate and select the final list of winners who will go on to win an award.

Important things to note:

The judges’ votes are not made public, but their comments may be published in articles or reports after the event.

Judges are not required to make comments against every submission.

Click here to start your entry

2025 Judging Panel

Heinrich Ey, director, Co-CIO German and European mid/small caps, Allianz Global Investors

Judge interviews

What’s the top thing you’re looking for in this year’s nominations?

While in the past it was ESG, dealing with Corona and the Ukraine impact, its more difficult this year as the companies have to deal
directly and indirectly wit the out come of the US elections, China as a market but also as a risk factor, AI, political uncertainty in Europe
and a weak macro picture.

That makes particular small caps very cheap, which then attracts sometimes buyers from private equity and elsewhere friendly and
unfriendly.So in simple terms, IR teams have to be agile on learning and to adapt quickly to new situations, which are impacting the investment case.

Simon Gleadhill, head of corporate, ESG and IFRS Reporting, Howden Joinery Group

Judge interviews

What’s the top thing you’re looking for in this year’s nominations?

With Annual Reports, I aim to understand a company’s uniqueness, value creation, strengths, and risks. The report should present a tailored business model, strategy, and an honest discussion of risks and mitigations, along with clear assessments of viability and governance that show impact.

ESG reports are harder to assess since they lack the common structure of Annual Reports and vary greatly in content. These reports must clearly present the company’s ESG materiality and strategy, reflecting the most important topics to ensure authenticity and relevance. If you’re not telling the reader what you think are your most important ESG topics, how do they know whether the content of the report is authentic and relevant or whether it’s just the things that you want them to see?

For websites, I’d trade some videos and animations for simple, clear navigation that lets the reader control their journey. Companies that combine reader control with focused digital tools stand out.

Lastly, a small request for award entries: please include a link to the report or website being submitted. It makes the judges’ job easier!

Amit Sanghvi, IR professional

Judge interviews

What’s the top thing you’re looking for in this year’s nominations?

The best nominations will showcase how IR teams have leveraged technology as a means to achieve personalised, meaningful communication at scale. I’m specifically looking for:
1. Clear evidence of data-driven investor and competitor intelligence gathering—demonstrating how insights from both digital and non-digital touchpoints have directly shaped IR messaging and engagement strategies.
2. A well-defined, cohesive communications strategy—where each investor interaction is intentionally designed as part of a broader narrative arc, rather than treated as an isolated event.
3. Practical examples of cross-functional collaboration between IR and Communications—showing how shared insights into investor behaviours and interests have been used to proactively plan and execute targeted engagement activities, beyond traditional, backward-looking data sources.

João Vermelho, equity sales, Bestinver Securities

Judge interviews

What’s the top thing you’re looking for in this year’s nominations?

We are looking for nominations that showcase outstanding investor relations practices, with a strong focus on transparency, strategic communication, and engagement with the investment community. We value companies and individuals who demonstrate innovation in their IR approach, foster trust through clear and consistent messaging, and effectively navigate market challenges. Ultimately, we’re seeking nominees who set a high standard for excellence and make a meaningful impact on investor relations.

Gervais Williams, head of equities, Premier Miton Investors

Judge interviews

What’s the top thing you’re looking for in this year’s nominations?

Overall, I think that this year, the economic and market outcome is extraordinarily wide. We don’t quite know the policies of Trump but they are expected to be relatively challenging compared with previous years. Furthermore, all political change carries the risk of unforeseen outcomes, and with changes likely to super-sized this year, we should expect the unforeseen outcomes to be similarly large.

In this context, the top thing I am looking for in the winning nominations this year, is those that that are relatively well positioned for uncertainty. Specifically that includes financial resilience, balance sheet, cash profitability etc, but also other factors such as their attention to deliver unusually strong customer service levels, and particularly good motivation of front line staff.

Stefanie Mollin, portfolio manager, GIB Asset Management

Judge interviews

What’s the top thing you’re looking for in this year’s nominations?

Knowledge: Have detailed knowledge of own business (especially the financials and strategy) as well as detailed information on competitors and general industry knowledge, such as growth rates, total addressable market, regulation, new competitors and so on. Able to effectively expand on the typical investment case that an investor might be building.
Access to management: Ensure the C-suite are attending the most effective conferences and go on the road to meet top existing and potential shareholders. Also, showcase the depth of the management team via capital market days or roadshows to broaden out investor and sell-side confidence and knowledge of the business.
Quality of financial disclosures: Ensure metrics important to investors and the sell side are regularly and consistently provided along with typical financial disclosures. Provide detailed enough business segment information to do analysis and compare to peers. Avoid regular restatements of financials such that they become difficult to compare to historical figures.
ESG information: Offer relevant and wide-ranging ESG information for all investors and sell-side analysts, but also make it sufficient for sustainability-focused investors. Provide access to sustainability experts within firm, if relevant.