This category is aimed at investors that have been contributing significantly to efforts to move from fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy. This can include investing directly in renewables and energy storage, as well as other investments that support energy transition, including technology and innovation, and the decarbonisation of others forms of infrastructure and the built environment.

Ideally, you should show:

• how you structure your energy transition investments
• how your energy transition investments complement your other assets and support your long-term objectives
• the size of your mandates and how and who manages them
• examples of recent deals or concepts
• how you gain exposure to relevant assets
• how you monitor and report on your performance and progress in relation to targets
• the risks associated with energy transition investments and how you manage them

Natural capital represents increasingly attractive investment propositions for institutional investors, as it offers sustainable and carbon reduction management, stable long-term returns and acts as a diversifying asset. Typical assets include forestry, agriculture, oil and gas, precious metals, minerals and base metals. Forestry and agriculture also play a significant role in an impact investment strategy.

Ideally, for this award, the judges would be keen to see:

• a clear outline of your approach to your natural capital investments
• how your natural capital and resources portfolios enhance and complement your overall long-term objectives and other asset classes
• how you seek exposure and details of mandates, recent deals and holdings
• how you manage the risks associated with natural capital investments
• any minimum or maximum investment value

The principles of ESG are increasingly embedded in real assets and infrastructure projects that are attractive to long-term investment strategies of institutional investors. Such projects underpin communities and economies locally, nationally and regionally by job creation and delivering essential services. This extends to managing climate change and carbon emission reduction. Key sectors this applies to include environmentally sustainable and efficient energy production, such as windfarms and biomass plants, energy transition, carbon-friendly transportation and agriculture and forestry.

For pension funds and other institutional investors, real assets and infrastructure offer stable long-term investments and cashflows.

For this category, the judges will ideally want to see:

• a clear outline of your approach to sustainable and green infrastructure and real assets investments
• how your ESG-oriented real assets and infrastructure portfolios enhance and complement your overall long-term objectives and other asset classes
• how you seek exposure and details of mandates, recent deals and holdings
• how you manage the risks associated with real assets and infrastructure investments

This category is aimed at investors that have built up significant investments in housing, healthcare, hospitals, schools and other forms of social infrastructure. The category can include social-impact considerations as well as financial objectives.

Ideally, for this award, the judges would be keen to see:

• a clear outline of your approach to your social infrastructure investments
• how your social infrastructure portfolios enhance and complement your overall long-term objectives and other asset classes
• how you seek exposure and details of mandates, recent deals and holdings
• how you manage the risks associated with social infrastructure investments
• any minimum or maximum investment value

This category is aimed at investors that have built up significant investments in fibre networks, data centres, cell towers and other forms of digital infrastructure.

Ideally, for this award, the judges would be keen to see:

• a clear outline of your approach to your digital infrastructure investments
• how your digital infrastructure portfolios enhance and complement your overall long-term objectives and other asset classes
• how you seek exposure and details of mandates, recent deals and holdings
• how you manage the risks associated with digital infrastructure investments
• any minimum or maximum investment value

This category is aimed at smaller to medium-sized investors that do not have the resources or size to pursue direct investment strategies to build exposure to real assets and infrastructure markets and build economies of scale.

An indirect strategy can be described simply as a means of investing via unlisted funds and other pooled or mutual investment vehicles. Your entry should provide full details of your indirect strategy, how you construct your mandates and who manages them.

Explicitly, the judges will be keen to know:

• any restrictions either at institutional or regulatory level

• how you seek exposure and details of mandates, recent deals and holdings
• the types and sectors you prefer
• any minimum or maximum investment value
• how an indirect strategy supports your long-term objectives and complements your overall portfolio
• how you manage the risks that indirect investments incur

This award is aimed at larger investors that have the resources, size and capacity to pursue more direct investment strategies to build exposure to real assets and infrastructure markets and build economies of scale in multiple regions and countries. This is often in partnership with like-minded investors or industry partners. In addition to how you build and manage partnerships, the judges will be keen to see how you research and invest in target assets and who manages them both financially and operationally.

You should ideally:

• document clearly the benefits of your real assets and infrastructure strategy
• any restrictions either at institutional or regulatory level
• include examples of your portfolio, especially deals and activity
• any minimum or maximum investment values
• the types and sectors you prefer
• sourcing and building relationships with partners
• explain how your real assets and infrastructure strategy supports your long-term objectives and complements your overall portfolio
• outline how you manage the risks that your strategy incurs

The development of real assets and infrastructure assets can have a negative impact on biodiversity – for example, through taking the natural habitat of species and emitting pollutants through construction and building operations. Biodiversity protection and the impact of infrastructure and the built environment on biodiversity loss – and its link with climate change – are therefore increasingly important factors for institutional investors.

For this award, the judges will be keen to see:

• Your approach to biodiversity in your real assets and infrastructure investment decision-making
•  Any specific mandates devoted to protecting and restoring biodiversity loss and how these are constructed and managed
• How biodiversity complements and enhances your sustainable real assets and overall investment strategy
• The risks and opportunities associated with incorporating biodiversity in your real assets strategy
• How your approach to biodiversity in your real assets supports nature-based initiatives and complies with national and international regulations and guidelines