Young Financial Planner Awards 2026


Money Marketing is proud to champion the next generation of financial planning professionals.

The Young Financial Planner Awards 2026 (YFPAs) celebrate the emerging talent shaping the future of the profession, shining a spotlight on those at the start of their careers who are already making a meaningful impact.

Whether you are a graduate trainee, administrator, paraplanner or financial planner, the YFPAs offer an opportunity to gain recognition for your passion, achievements and potential.

The awards also include categories recognising outstanding teams and specialists in areas such as marketing, sustainability and social responsibility.

The timing could hardly be more important. The financial advice profession faces a significant demographic challenge, with many experienced advisers expected to retire over the coming years and concerns remaining about the pipeline of new talent entering the sector.

That is why it is so important to recognise and celebrate those who are building their careers in the profession today. The YFPAs exist to showcase the individuals and teams who represent the future of financial planning – those bringing fresh ideas, new perspectives and a commitment to delivering great outcomes for clients.

By highlighting their achievements, we hope to inspire others to follow in their footsteps and help secure a strong future for the profession.

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How to enter

Think you or someone you know has what it takes to be one of the brightest rising stars in financial planning?

Here’s how to get involved:

Step 1: Choose Your Categories

Start by exploring the award categories and deciding where your strengths shine. Whether you're a client-facing adviser or supporting the financial planning process as an administrator or paraplanner, there is a category for you. We have also included categories covering marketing and sustainability expertise.

Eligible Roles:

We welcome entries from anyone working in UK-based financial planning services. That includes roles in:

  • Financial advice
  • Paraplanning
  • Administration
  • Marketing and communications
  • Sustainability

Whether you're just getting started or already showing leadership potential, we want to hear from you.

All entrants must be aged 35 or under.

Nomination Limits: You can be nominated in up to a maximum of three categories, so don’t be shy about putting yourself forward where you think you belong.

Please ensure you carefully review the entry criteria for your category and entry guidelines.


View entry guidelines

Step 2: Submit Your Entry

Each entry will involve a short online submission form via a series of questions where you'll highlight key achievements, impact, and innovation, Share your vision for the future of financial planning and most importantly, why you believe you deserve your award.

You can nominate yourself or a colleague, and we strongly encourage peers and managers to support rising talent by making nominations too.

All eligible and verified entries will create a shortlist, which will be announced online in August.

Entries open on Tuesday 9 June and close on Friday 3 July.


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Step 3: Shine in Front of Industry Leaders

Shortlisted nominees will be reviewed by a panel of expert judges from across the financial services industry in July, who will create a shortlist of the strongest candidates, which will be announced in August.

The judges seek candidates with a passion for positive change in their workplace, sector, or client outcomes. Candidates should provide evidence that they go above and beyond in their roles. The awards focus on achievements from the past 18 months, with particular emphasis on accomplishments since June 2025.

It’s your chance to showcase your skills, your passion for the profession, and your potential to shape the future.

YFPA 2026 Categories

View the categories and criteria below. Our judges will review entries and compile a shortlist.

Please read the entry guidelines before you get started.

If you have any queries, please get in touch with Megan Trappitt.

Entries close on Friday 3 July

This award recognises an individual who has demonstrated exceptional initiative and delivered tangible, positive outcomes for their business. Their proactive approach and commitment to excellence have created enduring benefits, significantly enhancing training efficiency. In a short time, they have built trust and respect through their dedication, professionalism, and reliable support.

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Emerging Talent of the Year – Graduate Trainee

Entry Form Criteria

All entrants must be aged 35 or under.

Entrants should:

  1. Please show evidence of tangible outcomes you have delivered within the first 12–18 months of your role.
  2. Provide examples of where you have proactively engaged beyond your core responsibilities.
  3. Describe any improvements you have made to training or onboarding efficiency.
  4. Include positive feedback or testimonials that highlight your professionalism and reliability.
  5. Demonstrate how you have earned trust and respect through your initiative and consistent support.

This award recognises an individual who has demonstrated exceptional initiative and delivered tangible, positive outcomes for their business. Their proactive approach and commitment to excellence have created enduring benefits, enhancing business efficiency. In a short time, they have built strong internal relationships, fostering trust and respect through their dedication, professionalism, and reliable support.

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Young Administrator of the Year

Entry Form Criteria

All entrants must be aged 35 or under.

Entrants should:

  1. Please provide evidence of how you have improved processes or introduced time-saving initiatives.
  2. Share examples of instances where you have gone above and beyond your core duties.
  3. Describe how you have built strong internal relationships and supported cross-team collaboration.
  4. Provide details of the impact your work has had on business operations or efficiency.
  5. Include feedback or testimonials from colleagues or managers that reflect your dedication and reliability.

This award recognises an individual who has championed sustainability and social responsibility within their organisation, integrating ethical practices, or their consideration, into financial planning where possible. They have taken meaningful steps towards promoting sustainable investment options, reducing environmental impact, or encouraging socially responsible financial practices. Their commitment to a sustainable future demonstrates the role financial planners can play in building a better world. Examples of successful initiatives and their outcomes are encouraged.

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Young ESG Champion of the Year

Entry Form Criteria

All entrants must be aged 35 or under.

Entrants should:

  1. Please outline any ESG initiatives you have led or contributed to, including outcomes and impact.
  2. Describe how you have integrated sustainability into financial advice or business operations.
  3. Provide evidence of how you have engaged others—clients, colleagues or suppliers—in ESG matters.
  4. Share measurable results that show reduced environmental or social impact.
  5. Demonstrate your personal commitment to ESG through professional development or advocacy efforts.

This award recognises an individual who has demonstrated outstanding initiative and delivered measurable value to their organisation. They have made impactful contributions with lasting benefits, showcasing a clear commitment to business growth and client success. In a short time, they have developed meaningful client relationships, earning trust and respect through their expertise, dedication, and interpersonal skills.

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Young Financial Planner of the Year (East & West Midlands)

Entry Form Criteria

All entrants must be aged 35 or under.

Entrants should:

  1. Please share examples of client outcomes that demonstrate the value of your financial planning.
  2. Provide evidence of how your work has contributed to business growth or client retention.
  3. Describe how you have built meaningful relationships with clients and colleagues.
  4. Detail any innovations or improvements you have introduced to planning processes or client service.
  5. Include testimonials or feedback that highlight your expertise, professionalism and impact.

This award recognises an individual who has demonstrated outstanding initiative and delivered measurable value to their organisation. They have made impactful contributions with lasting benefits, showcasing a clear commitment to business growth and client success. In a short time, they have developed meaningful client relationships, earning trust and respect through their expertise, dedication, and interpersonal skills.
£ 0.00
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Young Financial Planner of the Year (London & Greater London)

Entry form criteria:

All entrants must be aged 35 or under.

Entrants should:

  • Please share examples of client outcomes that demonstrate the value of your financial planning.
  • Provide evidence of how your work has contributed to business growth or client retention.
  • Describe how you have built meaningful relationships with clients and colleagues.
  • Detail any innovations or improvements you have introduced to planning processes or client service.
  • Include testimonials or feedback that highlight your expertise, professionalism and impact.

This award recognises an individual who has demonstrated outstanding initiative and delivered measurable value to their organisation. They have made impactful contributions with lasting benefits, showcasing a clear commitment to business growth and client success. In a short time, they have developed meaningful client relationships, earning trust and respect through their expertise, dedication, and interpersonal skills.
£ 0.00
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Young Financial Planner of the Year (Northeast & West, Scotland & N. Ireland)

Entry form criteria:

All entrants must be aged 35 or under.

Entrants should:

  • Please share examples of client outcomes that demonstrate the value of your financial planning.
  • Provide evidence of how your work has contributed to business growth or client retention.
  • Describe how you have built meaningful relationships with clients and colleagues.
  • Detail any innovations or improvements you have introduced to planning processes or client service.
  • Include testimonials or feedback that highlight your expertise, professionalism and impact.

This award recognises an individual who has demonstrated outstanding initiative and delivered measurable value to their organisation. They have made impactful contributions with lasting benefits, showcasing a clear commitment to business growth and client success. In a short time, they have developed meaningful client relationships, earning trust and respect through their expertise, dedication, and interpersonal skills.
£ 0.00
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Process or clear your selections to enable the item buttons.

Young Financial Planner of the Year (Southeast & West)

Entry form criteria:

All entrants must be aged 35 or under.

Entrants should:

  • Please share examples of client outcomes that demonstrate the value of your financial planning.
  • Provide evidence of how your work has contributed to business growth or client retention.
  • Describe how you have built meaningful relationships with clients and colleagues.
  • Detail any innovations or improvements you have introduced to planning processes or client service.
  • Include testimonials or feedback that highlight your expertise, professionalism and impact.

This award celebrates an outstanding team of young professionals within a financial planning business who, with similar levels of experience, have collaborated effectively to address key business challenges. We are looking for a team that exemplifies unity, problem-solving abilities, and innovation in achieving their goals. Entries should include a clear account of the team’s initial objectives, the strategies they employed, and the successful outcomes, showcasing their positive impact on the organisation and its clients.

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Young Financial Planning Team of the Year

Entry Form Criteria

All entrants must be aged 35 or under.

Entrants should:

  1. Please outline your team’s goals, the challenges you faced and how you addressed them.
  2. Describe how your team collaborated and shared responsibilities to deliver results.
  3. Provide measurable evidence of the team’s impact on the business or its clients.
  4. Share examples of innovative approaches or creative problem-solving used by the team.
  5. Include supporting feedback or testimonials that reflect your team’s effectiveness and contribution.

This award recognises an individual who has introduced innovative strategies to drive client engagement and business growth. Through creative marketing initiatives—including social media and other channels—they have successfully attracted and retained clients, enhancing the organisation’s visibility and reputation. They will demonstrate a strong understanding of how marketing can connect an organisation with new and existing clients, backed by clear examples of successful campaigns and measurable results.

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Young Marketing Specialist of the Year

Entry Form Criteria

All entrants must be aged 35 or under.

Entrants should:

  1. Please provide details of marketing campaigns you have led, including objectives, approach and measurable results.
  2. Share examples of creative or innovative marketing strategies you have developed.
  3. Demonstrate your understanding of the target audience and your use of appropriate channels.
  4. Describe the impact your work has had on business visibility, client engagement or growth.
  5. Include feedback or recognition from colleagues or management that highlights your contribution.

This award recognises a paraplanner who has exhibited exceptional initiative, contributing meaningful value to their team and business. Their work has created lasting, positive impacts, demonstrating dedication to the organisation’s growth and success. They have established strong relationships, building trust and respect through their accuracy, reliability, and commitment to excellence in financial planning support.

£ 0.00
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Young Paraplanner of the Year

Entry Form Criteria

All entrants must be aged 35 or under.

Entrants should:

  1. Please provide examples of complex planning work you have delivered and how it added value.
  2. Describe how you have taken initiative to improve technical standards, processes or templates.
  3. Share how you have built strong working relationships with advisers and team members.
  4. Demonstrate how your work has supported planning strategies, compliance or business success.
  5. Include feedback or testimonials that reflect your accuracy, reliability and professional commitment.

YFPA 2026: Rules & Guidelines for Entry

For your submission to be considered, please adhere to the following rules and general guidelines for entry:

ELIGIBILITY

All categories require a submission from an individual; please check the individual category criteria for further details. 

All entrants must be aged 35 or under.

Unless stated otherwise in the category criteria, entries should focus on work carried out in the UK.

Individuals may enter more than one category as appropriate.

Unless stated otherwise in category criteria, the awards are judging performance from 2025; this means that the bulk of work contained within the entry must have been carried out within this time period (please note it is NOT essential that a project or initiative has both launched and closed within this time period).

The judging panel reserves the right to move entries from one category to another if they feel it is more appropriate. However, they cannot be expected to routinely re-categorise incorrectly entered projects. The judges' decision is final.

Sponsors are not permitted to enter any category that they are sponsoring.

DEADLINE

The deadline has been extended for all entries until 11.55pm, Friday 3 July 2025. Entries will not be considered fully submitted until the entrant proceeds to the final stage and submits their entry. A confirmation email will be received once complete.

Entries may be edited up until the point of 'submission'.

FORMAT OF ENTRY

All submissions must be made online through the online entry portal and the requested information must be supplied within the entry form. Any information not provided via the online form will not be passed to the judges.

In all cases, the judges are looking for concise written submissions and your entry should cover as many of the listed criteria as possible. Please keep the word count within the stipulations per category. Please note that the judging panel reserves the right to penalise entries exceeding the word limit.

SUPPORTING MATERIAL

Please read the relevant category criteria to establish what type of supporting material should be included, if any.

Digital uploads may take a variety of formats; please check the individual upload fields on the entry forms. Please ensure that uploaded logos/images, video and any supporting files follow the supporting material guidelines and together do not exceed the maximum upload limit of 10MB per entry. Please note that when uploading supporting material, file names must not include any 'special' characters e.g. _ / ( ) & * ".

Where websites/links form part of an entry, please ensure any URLs, access details, usernames and passwords needed for judging are supplied, that they work and that they will continue to work until August 2026. Sites that cannot be viewed will be eliminated from the judging.

CONFIDENTIALITY

Information supplied within the entry form will remain confidential and for the judges’ eyes only, with the following exceptions:

Money Marketing reserves the right to refer to information supplied during the shortlist interview process (adviser categories only).

Money Marketing may refer to information supplied within the entry form in the post-event Awards collateral and/or winner comments included in the script at the ceremony. Should you wish to identify any elements of your entry as not to be shared in this way, please mark these clearly as ‘Confidential’ or ‘For Judges’ eyes only’ and contact megan.trappitt@emap.com to flag these sections.

INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY YOU

All entrants must supply all contact details as requested in the online form for a main point of contact we can approach should the entry require any further clarification.

If your entry is shortlisted, all entry form details, e.g. Individual / Company Name as completed in the online entry process, will be used on Awards collateral (e.g. Website, Awards graphics and if your entry wins, on the trophy). Any copy will adhere to the brand’s house style.

Please ensure that the information submitted is accurate and that the correct companies/individuals are credited as appropriate. We accept no responsibility for any incorrectly submitted information. When entries are submitted on behalf of clients or another third party, approval is assumed. Money Marketing accepts no responsibility for any issues that arise concerning approval once the entry has been submitted.

NOMINATIONS

If you are nominating a colleague/third party, please provide as much information as possible. Contact details for the nominee are mandatory.

We reserve the right to close a category if the quality of entries is insufficient; remove entries that do not meet the criteria, as determined by the judges; or suggest a more suitable category for a nominee if applicable. The judging panel will consider nominee responses along with additional third-party research, including websites and social media. The chairperson's decision is final.

Key Dates

JUNE

Entries open on 9 June: Colleagues and individuals can nominate themselves or others within the industry.


JULY

Entries close 11.55pm, Friday 3 July: All submissions will be collated and verified  to proceed to the judging round.


JULY/AUGUST

Judging: A panel of expert judges from across the financial services industry will review all submissions and create a shortlist of the strongest candidates.

The shortlist will be announced in August.


OCTOBER

Awards: All shortlisted nominees will be invited to attend the awards ceremony, where we will announce the winners, on Tuesday 6 October (at the MMI London conference).

Good luck to all nominees!