Step 1: Data analysis

League table data lies at the heart of all the Mergermarket M&A Awards categories. Following the league tables announcement for Q3, we analyse M&A league table data to identify the top-ranked firms and form a shortlist which includes international and local advisors.
The analysis considers overall value of transactions (GBP equivalent) as well as overall volume (deal count) in equal measure - meaning that even if your transactions have undisclosed values, every deal counts.

The period under review is for deals announced between 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021 - a full twelve months of activity.
M&A advisors who wish to be considered for the awards must appear within Mergermarket's league tables. There's no charge to submit your deals to us.

Our M&A league tables capture the role of an advisor mandated on any side of the deal (to the bidder, target or seller). As a result, outlying deals can sometimes mean international advisors appear in the league tables of countries where they do not have a permanent presence. To help counteract this, we use a proprietary method to ensure locally headquartered advisors are well-represented in their domestic categories.

Step 2: Shortlist announced

The M&A awards shortlist is announced as soon as the league tables analysis is complete. Only firms that appear on the shortlist are eligible to enter Mergermarket's European M&A Awards.

Step 3: Send a pitch by Wednesday 19th January 2022

Each of the firms who successfully make the M&A awards shortlist is invited to write a 300-word pitch. The pitch is handed to a panel of M&A veterans who will review all of the entries received, compare them with our league table data and debate who deserves to win.

This means the pitch is the most important stage of the process!

How to write a winning Awards pitch

Your pitch needs to tell the story behind the numbers. The judges want to know why you deserve to win. An ideal pitch will show how you added value to deal processes, supported clients and offered creative solutions to complex situations.

Your pitch may choose to highlight your successes across a number of different deals. All corporate and private equity transactions are captured by our shortlisting process and mandates to any party on the deal are valid – buyer, seller or target. Explain why these deals were so important and what you did as an adviser to get them across the line.

Sometimes, one deal says it all. If you worked on a landmark transaction and that single deal tells the story of your year, then make clear you have selected one example to highlight. The judges look for the direct contribution your firm made to the process, especially if you were a lead adviser.

What the judges are asked to ignore:

• Any reference to awards or rankings not published by Mergermarket or Dealogic
• Deals that don’t meet criteria for inclusion in Mergermarket’s M&A deals database
• Financing or underwriting on deals where you had no M&A mandate
• Legal advice offered to financial advisers

Some other useful notes:

• The pitches are treated as confidential documents. However, please clearly mark any previously undisclosed information as “confidential”.
• There’s no need for a presentation, illustrations or pitchbooks; just 300 words will do fine.
• The mid-market prize includes deals from €30m to €1bn in value.
• The European M&A Financial and Legal Advisor prizes are for deals over €5bn.