The first question on our entry form aims to ensure we compare projects with their peers. We don’t want the work of a single-class teacher to be judged alongside that of a global financial institution. Both might bring great ideas, but we will see them more clearly if they are grouped appropriately.

So think about who you are and the work you do, and that will tell you which category to enter. We think the three categories should encompass all possible ways of working:

• as an individual
• in a non-profit organisation
• in a for-profit corporation

We made one exception to this in 2022, for educational work being done in cryptocurrency and blockchain, for two reasons. First, this subject is so new and excites so much confusion, that it is worth keeping separate from all others. Second, the very nature of blockchain and its cousin, decentralised finance, is outside of the concepts of organisations and “for-profits”, and so we have put it to one side, with a specialist judging panel.

We now have FOUR special categories as we are not sure if the best work on these will be done by individuals, for-profits or non-profit organisations – but we do know the best work needs to be found and encouraged. 

One new award is called “Closing The Gender Gap” and is for the best work being done everywhere and anywhere in the world. Inspired by Professor Annamaria Lusardi’s ground-breaking Fearless Woman report, we are looking for work that is trying to close both the gaps between men’s and women’s inclusion in the financial sector and their knowledge (real and perceived) of financial concepts. 

The second new award is for ‘Green Financial Literacy’, which aims to build an understanding of sustainable finance, to enable it to work better. Too much of the hype and the backlash surrounding ESG and sustainable endeavours has been due to a weak understanding of the subject at hand – and if we really want to improve the planet through better finance, we need more sustainable finance literacy.

We have also moved “Entrepreneurship Education” out of the for-profit category into its own Special Category, to help us see a wider range of work being done on this crucial subject.

Yes, you should enter for an individual award, if the financial education or inclusion work you do is predominantly your own, as a private effort, and not part of a bigger organisation.

For example, if you volunteer to teach financial literacy at a charity that works on financial literacy, you should enter as the organisation: but if your teaching is done at an organisation with a totally different focus, and is mainly your private effort, then go ahead. A simple example might be if you’re a teacher at a school that doesn’t have financial literacy as part of the curriculum, and you make sure it is taught anyway, then that’s an individual effort.

Awards in this category are for teachers and students, academics and their work, either a research paper or course, authors and their books on financial literacy, and “financial influencers” across all different social media.

We know there are lots of people putting individual effort into helping others learn about money. If what you are doing isn’t captured in one of those four groups, please let us know.

Please note that the categories under “individuals” have very individual judging characteristics – appropriately enough. Academics need to send in their papers, influencers need to show us their influence and we may ask for copies of authors’ books if they make it as finalists. The sooner you enter, the sooner you can see what you need to send us.

Yes, if the work you do on financial literacy and inclusion is part of a larger organisation that is not-for-profit in nature. This could include charities, different levels of government (national or local), non-governmental bodies, schools, universities, foundations or religious bodies, or other bodies formed in such a legal structure that they cannot make a taxable profit.

If your organisation can make a profit, and pay it to shareholders (even if it currently doesn’t – we know the feeling!), then you shouldn’t enter this category.

Yes, if the work you, your team, or the team you want to nominate, promotes financial understanding and inclusion is done as part of their day job at a for-profit company.

The company itself may well have a very non-financial mission (we have an award for that), but as long as the work is being done by a for-profit company, then it goes in this category.

This could have quite a wide range. It could be educational materials prepared either by a CSR team or a marketing department. It could be a new, more inclusive product or service.

We see huge and exciting changes being made in this category, and we want to see the best work being done, so if you’re doing fin-lit as part of the day job at a for-profit company, it goes into the for-profit category.

Yes, please, if your work is creating the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

While much financial literacy work is focused on the basics of budgeting, saving and investing, we believe that financial literacy and entrepreneurship have a very important and complementary relationship. We want entrepreneurs to understand the basics of money too – while more people knowing how to start up a business could cause greater financial opportunities all over the world.

So yes, please enter if that’s what your work is trying to do.

Yes, if the work you are doing is predominantly focused on educating people on any aspect of blockchain, decentralised finance or cryptocurrencies.

We don’t care if you’re an individual, a foundation or a for-profit: we’d like to see your work here.

We have one special request. We are looking for “Goldilocks” entries. As we look at the world’s understanding of crypto, we see two camps predominating: cheerleaders and naysayers.

We need to build a middle ground, where sense and understanding prevail. We want to see projects dedicated to building proper learning and education, that will guide supporters towards risks and cynics towards use cases.

If your project is doing that, please enter now!

Yes, if the work you are doing is trying to address not just the gaps in people’s understanding of finance, but also their “sustainability literacy”.

We believe that a huge amount of the initial hype surrounding ESG, and then the backlash it has suffered recently, has been caused by widely varying expectations of what it is, what it can achieve, and how it might adapt in the future.

This expectations gap has been fuelled because there has been far too little work to explain to people exactly what terms mean. Sustainable Finance Literacy can fill this gap.

Yes, if the work you are doing is primarily focused on helping increase financial inclusion for women and girls.

Globally, 47% of women have access to formal financial institutions, compared to 55% of men. Even those with access invest less, and with lower stock market participation, build less wealth. In addition, most surveys of financial literacy show far lower scores for women.

This needs to be addressed – and addressed directly.

If your project addresses this indirectly, well done, and we have a scoring criterion specifically for work doing this in every single award category – but if it is not the main purpose of your work, you will probably find another category that suits you better.

Yes, if you have written a paper on financial literacy that has been published in a journal of repute in the last two years.

And yes, if you have created a teaching course on financial literacy, presented a seminar, or a similar non-published project in the last two years.

We are open to a wider range of projects than just published papers as we believe that it is important that the best academic work reaches a broad audience as quickly as possible.

In both cases, please use the name of the lead writer or presenter, or the first name cited.

Yes, if you have authored, co-authored or published a book in the last two years that was designed to help your readers understand and improve their financial situations.

We are happy to accept entries from traditional and self-published authors, and ones that address any area of financial literacy, awareness and inclusion.

If your entry makes the finalist level, we may ask you to send us a copy of your book, but we will get in touch if this is the case.

Yes, if you create and distribute financial literacy content on any popular social media channels, such as Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, etc.

In fact, we think this category is so important that we have created two separate awards, one for short-format influencers (TikTokkers, Instagrammers, etc) and another for more long-format genres, such as podcasts, vlogs, blog writers, etc.

We will want you to link to your best content, and we will also want you to prove to us that you take your responsibility to your viewers seriously (for example, no links to dubious apps or schemes). We will check.

These categories will predominantly be decided as a “people’s choice” award, rather than by the panel of judges.

In terms of quality control, there will be a qualification round, however, conducted by the MAIA team, which will determine if your entry goes through to the public voting round.

Yes, if you are an individual teacher or group of students that has developed a project, or done any other form of work on financial literacy, that is outside of the school curriculum.

Our goal here is to find and reward teachers and students who are working to develop their understanding of money, without it being left to school or country curriculum.

If you know of a teacher or school group doing this, please nominated them – or tell them to enter.

Yes, if your organisation is either a charity, foundation, government or non-government body that is incapable of paying profits to shareholders – and yes if your project teaches school-age children about money.

This includes all school-aged children, from kindergarten through to school leavers. We acknowledge this is a very broad award category, but we will judge all entries on their individual merits, and if deemed worthwhile, separate different age groups for individual awards.

If your project is under a for-profit corporation, then please look at that category, and if your work teaching children is an individual effort, please find the appropriate category there.

Otherwise, we look forward to seeing your entry.

Yes, if that’s what your non-profit venture is doing. That’s pretty straightforward, isn’t it?

No, we don’t need to be more specific. If you’re trying to teach people who have already left school about money, then please enter here.

Yes, this award is very general, but it is one of the awards where we think it is possible that you may want to enter for more than one award. For example, you may be teaching adults from a disadvantaged or marginalised community. You can enter for this award, and for the award for teaching under-served communities. You may be teaching adults in a developing country – which would mean you could enter for two awards.

While we would love for you to focus on one award – perhaps the narrowest one – we won’t penalise you for entering two.

Yes, if the work you are doing to teach people about money is predominantly conducted in a Non- OECD member countries: Argentina, Brazil, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and Thailand.

There is no restriction as to the type of financial literacy project being conducted or the type of beneficiary: only that it is conducted by a non-profit in a developing country

Yes, if that’s what you believe your project is doing. We do not want to narrowly define what we mean by that here, as we do not want to limit the scope of entries, but we expect this category to focus on groups of people who have traditionally not been taught about money or finance before.

We hope to see you define that community clearly in your entry, explaining how they have been under-served, are marginalised or at risk, and how your project targets them and their needs more accurately than they have been before

Yes, if you’re in a start-up or even larger for-profit company, and your focus is on using technological innovation, in some form or other, to improve financial literacy or the inclusion of a target market.

This could be via an app or website, but there is no reason for it to be limited to that – we want to see technological innovation in all kinds of ways that help people with money.

Yes, if that’s what your project is doing. We do not want to narrowly define what we mean by those communities here, as we do not want to limit the scope of entries, but we expect this category to focus on groups of people who have traditionally not been taught about money or finance before.

We hope to see you define that community clearly in your entry, explaining how they have been under-served, are marginalised or at risk, and how your project targets them and their needs more accurately than they have been before.

Yes, you can.

We expect some entries to qualify for more than one category. For example, your work may be at a for-profit working with adult women. That would clearly fit the For Profit Adult Education, and Closing the Gender Gap.

If you feel that your project lies across two categories equally, then yes, apply to both.

That’s a great idea, but please be careful, as unsupported nominations may not have enough supporting information to get the score they deserve. If the person or group you are nominating isn’t aware you are nominating them, or won’t be able to commit the time to complete the submission documents, then please reconsider. 

If you think that is the case, we would prefer it if you message them directly about the awards, and suggest to them they enter for themselves. We definitely want to hear about them.