The categories for the 2027 Yorkshire Financial Awards

The Yorkshire Financial Awards categories are open to everyone involved in financial services within Yorkshire, from outstanding trainees to regional directors, as well as wealth managers, financial advisers, and fintechs.

We strongly advise you enter as many relevant categories as possible to increase your chances of collecting a trophy. The awards aim to celebrate the successes of organisations, teams, and individuals who have excelled within the region.

Find the categories and criteria, key information and links, and the all-important buttons for the entry form below. Good luck!

Key dates and deadlines General rules and requirements

The Yorkshire Financial Awards provides a unique oppportunity Two images from Yorkshire Financial Awards 2023 - the top features a group of winners crowded onto the stage accepting an award, the second features two glamorous women smiling and holding glasses of champagne to highlight and celebrate the excellence across financial services in the UK’s biggest financial hub outside of London.

The Yorkshire Financial Awards categories are open to organisations, individuals, and teams working in the region’s finance sector. The awards cover multiple areas, from wealth management to insurance, and recognise the achievements of individuals, teams and organisations.

The Yorkshire Financial Awards celebrates this growing, varied sector through a local lens, pitting national providers with offerings in Yorkshire against local leaders with glowing reputations in their communities.

The awards culminate in a black-tie ceremony and dinner, held in Leeds, where the finalists meet, network and celebrate as a local profession.

How to enter How to win Rules and requirements Contact us Register now to enter

How to enter

Pick your categories

There are lots of categories to choose from and you can enter as many as you wish.

This year, new categories have been introduced including Credit Broker of the Year and Best Marketing Campaign of the Year. The awards aim to celebrate the successes of organisations, teams, and individuals who have excelled within the region.

Read the criteria carefully for each and decide which will give you the best opportunity to demonstrate your strengths.

The criteria is in a Q&A format, so follow this closely to provide the independent judging panel with a clear, easy-to-follow submission and include all of the information requested. Rest assured, the process is entirely confidential.
Choose the form of your award submission

Make sure every submission is unique for the category that you’re entering.

We accept written submissions of between 250 and 1,000 words per category (please note: this is in total, not per criterion).

Written submissions are at their best after several drafts, with input from everyone involved. Remember that your submission needs to stand out from the crowd, so keep it active, free of jargon, and don’t forget to proofread your words before entering.

Alternatively, you can enter a video submission. You’ll have a maximum of three minutes to demonstrate why you, your team or business should win the particular category. Videos are easy to digest and revisit, and they allow the judges to put a face to an entry.

Please note, we are no longer accepting video files. To submit a video, you must upload it to a third-party platform such as YouTube or your own website and supply a link (ensure that the video is private or password protected before submitting).
Submit via the form

Entries must be submitted prior to 11.59pm on the entry deadline date.

Submissions can only be accepted via the entry form.

Fill out all of the required information. There are mandatory fields for the person providing the submission as well as the subject of the submission.

If you are putting an organisation forward for an award, eg, Company X for Insurer of the Year, mark the fields under the Nominee heading with an ‘N/A’ except for the Company name field and make sure you choose the correct category from the list. Doing so reveals the correct category criteria and fields in which to paste your submission. The form must be filled out and submitted for every category.

The form removes all formatting, so don’t worry about italics, bolding, underlining or hyperlinking, as these won’t make it through our system. Furthermore, no supporting documents and attachments are allowed, so don’t use the attach buttons for CVs, promo videos, PDFs and Word docs—these won’t make it through our system, either.

For written submissions, input your 250 to 1,000 words in the provided fields. To reveal these, click on your chosen category.

For video submissions, fill out the form (except the criteria fields) and paste the link to your video into the one of the criteria fields (alternatively, email the video link to sammy.kinlough@barkerbrooks.co.uk).
Attach your logo

If you make it to the shortlist, we’ll need a high resolution version of your logo for the ceremony and marketing campaigns. We accept the .JPEG, .PNG and .PDF formats, but prefer .EPS wherever possible. If you don’t have this, don’t worry.
Attach nominee’s photo

This is for the talent categories. Colour photos are preferred, wide, horizontal shots work well, and high resolution .JPEG is best.
Sit back and wait for news

That’s it, you’re done! Approximately two weeks following the submission deadline, our judging panel will convene to make their decisions. We’ll then get in touch with every finalist to give them the good news.

How to win

It’s all about being memorable and compelling:

Start early. Give yourself plenty of time to carefully evaluate the criteria for the categories you’re entering and provide a well-produced submission before the entry deadline.
Check the criteria. Each category has its own criteria, and each submission should be unique.
Provide evidence. Include as many results and evidence of success as you can, including testimonials. Judges are there to be swayed, so sway them.
Keep it simple. Write or speak clearly and concisely so the judges can quickly understand the points you’re making.
Consult with the relevant team. Collaborate on your submission as you do your work, and ensure that your whole team contributes.
Be enthusiastic, transparent, and honest. Inspire the judges by sharing your organisation’s ethos and passion for your work without trying to pull the wool over their eyes. Honesty is the best policy.
Redraft and revise. Once your submission is ready, start again and interrogate every fact and figure. Are they correct? Question every claim. Is that true? Weigh your language. Is that a helpful term or an empty buzzword?

General rules and requirements

Entrants must be based in Yorkshire or provide services in Yorkshire
Entrants can enter as many categories as they wish
Entrants are encouraged to limit submissions to two entries per category; further submissions may not be considered.
Submissions must be unique and tailored to meet the criteria of each category.
Self-nomination is required.
Written and video submissions are accepted – both must follow the criteria format.
Submissions can be made until 11.59pm on the entry deadline day
Entrants are expected to send at least one representative to attend the in-person ceremony.
Entries submitted by companies that have undergone administration, liquidation, or significant restructuring will be subject to review to ensure continuity of operations, leadership, and client commitments.
The Yorkshire Financial Awards reserves the right to disqualify entries where there are concerns about corporate governance, financial stability, or ethical business practices.
The judging panel has the final authority to determine whether an entry meets the spirit and intent of the awards.
The Yorkshire Financial Awards reserves the right to remove any entries or finalists that do not meet the above criteria or that, in the judges’ discretion, could undermine the integrity of the awards.

Have a question…

...about sponsoring the event?
...about your entry?

For information on sponsorship, contact Alex Gray:

alex.gray@barkerbrooks.co.uk

0116 509 7259

For information entering the awards, contact Finlay Smith:

finlay.smith@barkerbrooks.co.uk

0113 867 2191

Providers

Accelerator of the Year
Open to all business accelerator and incubator programmes in Yorkshire

How has the accelerator/incubator contributed to the success of participating businesses? Provide specific examples of outcomes such as funding, growth, or market entry.

What types of support services (e.g., mentoring, workshops) does the accelerator/incubator offer? How do these services benefit the participants?

What high-specification facilities or unique features does the accelerator/incubator have that benefit the participants?

How satisfied are your participants with the accelerator/incubator programme? Include testimonials or case studies.

What impact has your programme had on your local business community and economy in Yorkshire? Include testimonials or case studies.
Insurance Broker of the Year
Open to all brokers of any insurance line in Yorkshire

How do you measure customer satisfaction? Provide evidence of high satisfaction and retention rates amongst your customers.

Describe your team or organisation’s expertise, knowledge and experience. How does this expertise benefit your clients?

Award Categories