Media Advisory – Call for Entries for 2016 PMAC Award for Excellence in Investment Journalism

Calling on Canada’s Most Insightful Investment Journalists

Canadian Print and Online Journalists Invited to Submit Published Content by NEW DEADLINE April 4, 2016

TORONTO, ON, February 17, 2016 – In a year dominated by front page headlines on falling oil prices, Canada’s sagging dollar, a new Federal Government, China, stock market volatility and investor jitters, Canada’s print and online investment journalists generated more insightful original content than ever before. Canada’s portfolio management firms, representing combined assets of more than $1.4 trillion, applaud the best writers in the country covering the investment and personal finance world in both trade and consumer delivery for the fifth consecutive year with the 2016 PMAC Award for Excellence in Investment Journalism.

The PMAC Award for Excellence in Investment Journalism is the only industry-driven award for outstanding media insight into the financial sphere. Presented by the Portfolio Management Association of Canada (PMAC), the influential association with more than 200 member companies across Canada, the PMAC Award has been given to 10 journalists from coast to coast in the last four years. In 2015, it was presented to:

Topics covered by winners in previous years include securities regulation gaps, understanding investment performance reports, less commonly understood RESP tax rules and investor protection.

PMAC began the annual competition in 2012 and encourages financial editors, reporters, freelancers and bloggers to submit their best stories. It was developed to foster a better understanding of the investment industry, its products and services, with the ultimate goal of improving financial literacy. The award is also intended to support Canadian investors and the broader public by encouraging excellent coverage of the economy, the markets and other investment-related topics.

The deadline for submissions for the 2016 competition is March 31. *The deadline for the 2016 competition has been extended to April 4.* The winner will receive $5,000, with second and third prizes of $3,000 and $2,000 respectively. Journalists may submit their own thoughtful and substantive work in English or French or be nominated by an editor, regulator, financial services professional or any Canadian investor. Submissions may consist of a single article or series of related articles published in print publications or online media and must have been available to the Canadian public between March 1, 2015 and February 28, 2016. Entries can range from investigative journalism to personal finance, business writing to investment news. Complete details, including eligibility requirements and exclusions, the nomination process and other related information are available on the PMAC website.

“All Canadian investors benefit from meaningful analysis and guidance from journalists who aim to help them get a better grasp of investing and financial services,” says PMAC President Katie Walmsley. “Our members manage much of Canadians’ retirement savings and we want to recognize the deserving original content of Canadian financial journalists.”

Winners of the 2016 PMAC Award for Excellence in Investment Journalism will be announced the week of May 11, 2016.

The six judges for the 2016 competition represent a top-tier group of investment and financial experts whose accomplishments are well-established within the journalism and financial communities:

  • David Baines, securities columnist for The Vancouver Sun for 25 years and winner of the first PMAC Award for Excellence in Investment Journalism himself in 2012 (for a work produced in 2011)
  • Bruce Cohen, who has had a 40-year career in print and broadcast journalism in Canada and the U.S.
  • René Delsanne, professor of actuarial science at the University of Quebec at Montreal, a former executive at a national investment firm and consulting actuarial firm
  • Keith Sjögren, Senior Consultant and Managing Director, Consulting at Investor Economics
  • Glorianne Stromberg, a securities lawyer and long-time regulatory advisor on the investment industry and financial services sectors
  • Tessa Wilmott, former editor-in-chief of Investment Executive for almost two decades

Complete biographies for each judge are available at the PMAC website.

After reviewing the criteria and submission process on the PMAC website, applicants or nominees should send their submission by March 31, 2016 by either letter or email: PMAC, 155 University Avenue, Suite 1210, Toronto, ON M5H 3B7 or PMACinfo@pmac.org. Specify “PMAC Award for Excellence in Investment Journalism” in the subject line of the email or on the envelope.

About PMAC
Portfolio Management Association of Canada (PMAC) represents an influential membership of more than 200 investment management firms that manage more than $1.4 trillion in assets for more than one million institutional and high-net-worth clients. Members manage portfolios for private individuals, foundations, universities and pension plans. As one of the largest investment industry associations in Canada, PMAC operates coast-to-coast in English- and French-language markets. PMAC employs a collaborative information-sharing business model and advocates on behalf of its members to securities regulators and government agencies. The Association increases the awareness of investment counselling benefits, provides a forum for member networking and keeps members up to date on regulatory and compliance issues. PMAC represents investment management firms registered to do business in Canada as portfolio managers. The Association’s mission is to advocate the highest standards of unbiased portfolio management in the interest of investors served by members. For further information on PMAC, visit portfoliomanagement.org.

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For further information contact:
Margo Rapport
Rapport Communications
margo@margorapport.com
416 895-5672