All Awards candidates must be members of the RIA for at least one year as of January 1, 2021. Awards candidates must be RIA members in good standing on the date they enter their submission, and on June 7, 2021 when the Awards are presented. Awards are available for both Organizational and Individual RIA Membership categories.
Award Categories
The RIA Leadership Awards are an opportunity to earn national recognition for your contributions to responsible investment in Canada. Each award will recognize the leadership and excellence of an RIA member for their work in one of the following five categories: Market Education, Integration, Stewardship, Service Leadership or Individual Leadership. Drawn from the RIA’s Strategic Priorities, these categories represent the critical work being done to advance responsible investment in Canada. An award will be granted in each category, for a total of 5 Awards. Meet the 2020 winners here.
Market Education: Driving Awareness and Demand for RI
Recognizing RIA members who seek to bridge the gap between knowledge about and demand for RI by engaging and educating market participants, raising awareness of responsible investment and developing and promoting tools, resources and research related to RI.
Integration: Developing the RI Capacity of Investment Professionals
Recognizing RIA members who further the adoption and development of responsible investment practices among investment professionals by enabling the development of RI literacy and expertise, and implementing and enhancing RI policies, processes and principles.
Stewardship: Advancing Practices and Policies to Support RI
Recognizing Organizational RIA members who exemplify leading stewardship practices by leveraging their influence as investors to advance the widespread implementation of ESG practices, standards and policies/regulations that support RI objectives.
Service Leadership: Advancing Market Practices to Support RI
Recognizing Organizational RIA members who, as ESG/RI service providers, further the adoption and implementation of best practices, standards and policies/regulations that support ESG/RI objectives.
Individual Leadership: Driving Awareness and Demand for RI
Recognizing Individual RIA members who seek to improve their knowledge about RI, raise awareness about RI with clients, and integrate RI strategies within their organization or practice.
Award Eligibility
To be eligible for a 2021 RIA Leadership
Award, submissions must meet the following criteria:
RIA Membership
Collaborative Projects
Collaborative Projects may be submitted, so long as at least 50% of the project’s participants are RIA members, or RIA members actively contributed at least 50% of the effort for the project.
- Simply sponsoring a project will not be eligible.
- All participants must agree to take part in the Awards before sending in their submission.
- Multiple submissions for one collaborative project will not be permitted; if multiple submissions are received, the RIA will encourage the participants to submit a single Collaborative submission.
Project Time Frame
The activities described in the submission must have taken place or been implemented during the calendar year 2020. The Awards are open to both ongoing and completed projects. While activities might have been initiated prior to 2020, or may conclude after 2020, the submission will be evaluated on the basis of its reported results during calendar year 2020.
Submission Timeline
Enter a Submission or Nomination
The Submission/Nomination period will be open from February 12, 2021 to March 31, 2021 . All Awards candidates must be members of the RIA for at least one year as of January 1, 2021. Awards candidates must be RIA members in good standing on the date they enter their submission, and on June 7, 2021 when the Awards are presented.
An Individual or Organization can be nominated by another RIA member. The RIA will advise the Nominee of their nomination, and the Nominee will then be responsible for submitting their own Entry.
Additional information:
- Submissions must be on behalf of an Organizational RIA Member or an Individual RIA Member.
- Collaborative projects are welcome for either Submission type (further instructions available on the Submission Form).
- There is a limit of 1 submission per Organization/Individual per category and a limit of 2 submissions per Organization overall.
- Submissions, supporting documents and links can all be submitted in either official language.
Judging the RIA Leadership Awards
The Judges’ Panel will be made up of 10 Volunteers with expertise in responsible investment in Canada. The Panel’s composition considers factors such as geography, gender, and racial diversity, consistent with the RIA Board’s Diversity Policy, and balanced representation from the following sectors:
- Academics
- Advisors
- Asset Managers
- Asset Owners
- Business/Consulting/Service Provider
- Financial Institutions (Banks & Credit Unions)
- Media
- RI Organizations
Learn more about the judging process, or apply to become a 2021 Judge.
Apply to be a Judge