What does the IPEM Wealth Awards process look like?

Rules & regulations
August 24 through October 30, 2026: 
  •  Applications open
Starting November 2026: 
  • Applications closed & reviewed by IPEM team to ensure eligibility and completion before proceeding to application payment
December 2026: 
  • Our jury carefully reviews submissions and selects at least 3 champions per award
January 2027: 
  • Public voting to finalize the podium for each award
February 3rd, 2027: 
  • Gold, silver, and bronze champion in each category announced & celebrated at the IPEM Wealth Awards Gala Dinner in Cannes
Rules & regulations


 Award categories

The IPEM Wealth Awards are open to private market products, wealth management firms, private banks, and fund managers who have demonstrated outstanding performance and innovation in their respective fields, and who have a regulatory authorization to commercialize financial products or services within the EU or the EEA. Each award has specific eligibility criteria, which must be met by all candidates.
  • Service providers can also compete for the Best Wealth Partnership Award in collaboration with one or more of the aforementioned entities.
  • FinTechs and technology platforms can compete in the dedicated Best Wealth Tech award. 

Personalities of the Year (3 awards) Honorary distinctions proposed by industry journalists and named directly by the jury. No application is required.
  • Best Asset / Fund Manager of the Year — an executive leader whose vision and achievements have exceptionally advanced wealth private markets.
  • Best Fund Selector of the Year — a professional who has demonstrated excellence in private markets selection, advisory and client solutions, with notable market influence.
  • Best Rising Star of the Year (under 40) — an emerging talent under 40 showing exceptional potential and early-career achievements in wealth private markets.
Special distinction : Strategic Initiative of the Year (IPEM x Indefi) A special distinction awarded jointly by IPEM and its independent quality partner Indefi, recognizing a standout initiative of the year : a product, partnership, piece of infrastructure or industry initiative, that has meaningfully advanced the democratization, accessibility or resilience of private markets for wealth investors. 
Selected directly by the organizers, no application required.

Private Market Product

Fund Manager

Fund Selector

Wealth Partnership

Wealth Tech

2026 Private Market Products

Evergreen Funds — Private Equity / Private Debt / Infrastructure / Real Estate / Multi-Asset 
Dedicated to the evergreen funds offering the best value proposition to private investors. 

Best Impact / Sustainable Product 
Dedicated to private markets products with the best impact/return alignment for ESGconscious investors
Download the eligibility criteria for Evergreen FundsDownload the eligibility criteria for Best Impact
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Download the eligibility criteria for Evergreen FundsDownload the eligibility criteria for Best Impact

2026 Fund Manager

These awards recognize asset managers as manufacturers of private markets products for wealth. 
Describe your wealth franchise; distribution is assessed through your partnerships and reach, not as a distributor activity. 
The three awards (Global / World Class Leader, Local / Domestic Market Leader, European Leader) share the application requirements below — adapt the geographic scope to your category (worldwide, single domestic market, or European markets).
Download the eligibility criteria
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Download the eligibility criteria

2026 Fund Selector

These awards recognize allocators — wealth managers, private banks and platforms that select and distribute private markets to their clients. Describe how you integrate and deliver private markets to wealth clients, not how you manufacture products.
Download the eligibility criteria
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Download the eligibility criteria

2026 Wealth Partnership

The most innovative partnership having significantly improved private markets access for wealth investors.
Download the eligibility criteria
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Download the eligibility criteria

2026 Wealth Tech

The technology firm/provider best enabling the private markets and wealth ecosystem; investor-facing distribution platforms should instead apply under Best Digital Platform.
Download the eligibility criteria
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Download the eligibility criteria

Ensuring Integrity and Impartiality Awards Judging Process

The Jury selection accounts for 90%, coupled with the public vote accounting for 10% of of the overall score. All applicants, champions or not, receive personal feedback from the jury regarding their submission.

IPEM is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, confidentiality, and impartiality throughout the award judging process. The evaluation procedures have been structured to ensure that judges are assigned only to categories where no conflicts of interest could arise and that they receive solely the information necessary for their assessment. All data and materials provided for the purpose of judging will be treated as strictly confidential and used exclusively for the evaluation of applications.