The 2018 IMA Money Advice Awards will be presented at the 2018 IMA Conference, to be held on 21 and 22 May at the Midland Hotel, Manchester.

The IMA Money Advice Awards recognise excellence and innovation in the field of money advice, and are open to individuals, teams, projects and organisations working at a national, regional, or local level, anywhere in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

This year we will be presenting awards in the following categories:

• Money Adviser of the Year, sponsored by Computershare
• Debt Team of the Year, sponsored by Phoenix Commercial Collections
• Best Partnership, sponsored by PayPlan

Nominations have now closed. We will announce the shortlist and contact all those who made a nomination in the coming weeks.

All those shortlisted will be presented with a certificate at the Money Advice Awards drinks reception before the awards dinner itself, at which the winners will be announced and congratulated on stage. The winners’ organisations will each receive a cheque for £500.

About the awards

Here’s what the 2017 Debt Team of the Year winner has to say about the experience and impact of winning:

“It was fantastic to have the team’s hard work, knowledge and commitment recognised nationally. Attending the award ceremony and the IMA conference was a great experience, not just because of the award, but to hear about what other people are doing and learn from their experiences.

We decided to use the prize money to help support our needier clients in the run up to Christmas. We will be donating shopping vouchers, and to top up the funds are launching a campaign in which we are asking people who don’t claim their winter fuel allowance to consider claiming it and donating it.

We’d encourage other teams and individuals to enter this year’s awards. It wasn’t a difficult or overly time consuming process, and just being shortlisted is a great boost.”

Alison Starling, Charter Housing

The awards are regarded as the pinnacle of achievement in the sector, and can have a very positive impact for the winners, as 2016 Money Adviser of the Year Andy Clark explains:

“I was very proud to be nominated for the award, let alone win it. I enjoy advising and it was a real pleasure to be awarded for doing something I really enjoy and it’s great to be recognized for making a difference.

The winning of the award has raised the profile of debt advice in the area. Referrals have increased and our projects are going from strength to strength. It has also enhanced the confidence of clients; several clients have congratulated me having learnt about the award on our website. My organisation was delighted that I won the award, which was a great boost to morale.”