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20 November 2024  |  The Monastery, Manchester

2024 Entries


 

Entries for the 2024 Lending Awards are now open. The awards are independently judged and culminate in a live, in-person ceremony, providing an excellent forum for celebrating success and unparalleled networking opportunities.

 

GETTING STARTED

  • Login or register for free to view the category criteria, what the judges are looking for and to start your entries
  • From there you can enter as many categories you wish and can
  • Edit and return to your entries as many times as you like before the final submission

 

CONFIDENTIALITY

  • All materials will remain confidential to the judges
  • Winning case studies may be used in post-event materials to promote best practice but permission will be sought from entrants before publishing

 

START THE SUBMISSION PROCESS: 

  • Check the 2024 categories in the below list
  • Select relevant categor(y)ies
  • If you wish to submit entries for several categories, simply come back to this page and re-start the process by selecting a new category

 

IMPORTANT DATES & INFORMATION

  • An early entry fee of £188+VAT will be applied until the early deadline of 21 June 2024
  • A standard entry fee of £298+VAT will be applied until the final deadline of 23 August 2024
  • The ceremony date will be 20 November 2024

 

TERMS & CONDITIONS
By entering the awards, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions as well as to our privacy notice.

 

WHATEVER YOU NEED, WE’RE HERE TO HELP

 

Whether that be support with writing your entries or

suggestions on which categories are best fit for you, we’re here for you.

 

Simply contact awards@shardfinancialmedia.com

Alternative Consumer Lender of the Year

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Who should enter?


Alternative lenders, those who offer alternative forms of consumer lending to traditional high-street retail banking, financial lending disruptors centered around an innovative fintech model and those who consider their lending proposition to target those not historically served by traditional high street retail banking, including payday lending and high-cost short-term lending.

Alternative SME Lender of the Year

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Who should enter?


Alternative lenders, those who offer alternative forms of SME lending to traditional high-street retail banking, financial lending disruptors centred around an innovative fintech model and those who consider their lending proposition to target those not historically served by traditional high street retail banking.

Best Asset Finance Provider

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Who should enter?


Any business providing asset finance/leasing products to UK SMEs, as a specialism or as part of a wider product suite. Please note - businesses which self-define as asset-based finance providers, but which do not provide HP or leasing products among their product suite should enter ‘best invoice finance provider’.

Best Brand

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Who should enter?


Challenger banks that offer specialist consumer lending and banking services outside of the core focus of traditional high street banks.

Best Building Society for Mortgages

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Who should enter?


For companies that are defined as building societies by credit trade associations such as the BSA or fit the commonly held definitions of those corporate entities.

Best Challenger Bank

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Who should enter?


Challenger banks that offer specialist consumer lending and banking services outside of the core focus of traditional high street banks.

Best Commercial Finance Broker

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Who should enter?


Any business acting primarily as an intermediary between UK commercial finance providers and SME customers.

Best Commercial Lender

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Who should enter?


Any lender providing commercial finance products of any kind to UK business customers, which offers more than one family of products - for example a business which provides invoice finance, as well as asset finance & leasing. Entries may concern a group of businesses providing different products across a range of subsidiaries. 

Best Credit Information Provider

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Who should enter?


Any company providing data or data services for use in credit decision-making by UK Alternative finance providers, commercial finance providers or mortgage lenders.

Best Fintech Lender

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Who should enter?


Organisations who lend money and consider their business model to be based around a new, innovative and disruptive business model with a piece of fintech at its heart.

Best Invoice Finance Provider

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Who should enter?


Any business providing invoice finance products to UK SMEs, as a specialism or as part of a wider product suite. Please note - businesses which self-define as asset-based finance providers should enter this category.

Best Legal and Advisory Service

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Who should enter?


Any law, consultancy or professional services firm providing advisory or legal services to the UK alternative finance, commercial finance or mortgage sectors.

Best Mainstream Mortgage Lender

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Who should enter?


For companies that are defined as mortgage lenders by credit trade associations such as the BSA or UK Finance Association (CML) or fit the commonly held definitions of those corporate entities. Who have been established for more than 10 years and have focus on products that meet mass market needs. Entrants may or may not have high street branches.

Best Mortgage Broker

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Who should enter?


Any business acting primarily as a broker between UK mortgage providers and consumers. The winning entry will demonstrate how the broker has provided best-in-class service not just to the lenders it works with, but also the consumers it serves. Networks & Mortgage Clubs should enter ‘Best mortgage distributor’.

Best Mortgage Distributor

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Who should enter?


Any business functioning as a distributor between UK mortgage providers and consumers, that operates as either a network, mortgage club or specialist distributor. The winning entry will demonstrate how the distributor has provided best-in-class service not just to the lenders it works with, but also the consumers it serves.

Best Online Commercial Lender

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Who should enter?


Any business providing lending services to UK businesses, with either a primary focus on, or a significant offering in, the online channel. Brokers and other intermediaries should enter ‘best commercial finance broker’.

Best Online Mortgage Lender

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Who should enter?


Any business providing mortgages to UK consumers, with either a primary focus on, or a significant offering in, the online channel. Brokers and other intermediaries should enter ‘best mortgage broker’ or ‘best mortgage distributor’.

Best P2P Lending Platform

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Who should enter?


Peer-to-peer lending platforms and organisations, crowdfunding platforms, those who lend through a model that matches lenders directly to borrowers.

Best Specialist Commercial Lender

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Who should enter?


Any business providing lending services to UK businesses, with a specialism in serving a particular type of customer - this can mean businesses in a particular sector, in a particular risk bracket, or with a particular need in terms of finance. Brokers and other intermediaries should enter ‘best commercial finance broker’.   

Best Specialist Mortgage Lender

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Who should enter?


Any company providing a technology offering – defined as any software, system, technology service or process innovation – providing a demonstrable commercial advantage for a UK alternative lender, commercial lender or mortgage lender, either directly or indirectly (such as by aiding compliance).

Best Support For SMEs

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Who should enter?


Any business providing commercial finance of any kind to UK SMEs.

Best Technology Partner

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Who should enter?


Any company providing a technology offering – defined as any software, system, technology service or process innovation – providing a demonstrable commercial advantage for a UK alternative lender, commercial lender or mortgage lender, either directly or indirectly (such as by aiding compliance).

Best Credit Card Provider

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Who should enter?


Applications must be made on behalf of companies that are defined as business credit card providers by credit trade associations or fit the commonly held definitions of those corporate entities.

Business Leader of the Year

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Who should enter?


A leader of a business operating within either alternative finance, commercial finance or the mortgage sector, who has demonstrated outstanding business leadership in the last 12 months. Judges will examine the progress/growth of the company in the last two years (with particular emphasis on the last 12 months.)

Outstanding Achievement in Fraud Prevention

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Who should enter?


Any business operating within either alternative finance, commercial finance or the mortgage sector, including service providers, who have demonstrated an outstanding level of commitment to business continuity or supporting clients through disruption.

Company Award for Sustainability

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Who should enter?


Any business operating within either alternative finance, commercial finance or the mortgage sector, including service providers, who have demonstrated an outstanding level of commitment to sustainability or launched products focussed on sustainability across the last 12 months.

Consumer Credit Card Provider

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Who should enter?


Applications must be made on behalf of companies that are defined as consumer credit and/or store card providers by credit trade associations or fit the commonly held definitions of those corporate entities.

Customer Service Excellence - Alternative Lending

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Who should enter?


Any alternative lenders, who offers alternative forms lending to traditional high-street retail banking, financial lending disruptors centred around an innovative fintech model and those who consider their lending proposition to target those not historically served by traditional high street retail banking.

Customer Service Excellence – Credit Cards

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Who should enter?


Applications must be made on behalf of companies that are defined as consumer credit and/or store card providers by credit trade associations or fit the commonly held definitions of those corporate entities.

Customer Service Excellence – Mortgage Lending

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Who should enter?


Any brokers or companies that are defined as mortgage lenders by credit trade associations such as the BSA or UK Finance Association (CML) or fit the commonly held definitions of those corporate entities.

Debt Servicing Excellence

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Who should enter?


Individuals and teams of servicers which provide debt management and collection services to UK alternative lenders, commercial lenders or mortgage lenders. Award is for the organisation.

Gamechanger

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Who should enter?


Within your entry, describe how the nominated person, business, team, product, initiative, campaign or concept has had a positive effect on the sector which they operate within (either alternative finance, auto finance, commercial finance or the mortgage sector), and how it has the potential to change things for good.

Innovation Award

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Who should enter?


The winning entry will show how a business has created a product, technology, system, process or concept never before seen in their sector (either alternative finance, auto finance, commercial finance or the mortgage sector), and implemented it with demonstrable success.

Rising Star

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Who should enter?


This award is for those who are in the alternative finance, commercial finance or the mortgage professions, who spend the majority of their time working in either of these three fields. They will need to demonstrate exceptional performance and career development and must have less than five years’ industry service.

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