About
Now in its ninth year, the Allocators' Choice Awards is Institutional Investor's premier recognition program honoring the chief investment officers and allocator teams who demonstrate exceptional leadership, innovation, and results across the institutional investment landscape.
How Winners Are Chosen
Winners are selected entirely by peer vote — chosen by the same caliber of professionals they compete alongside every day. Finalists are vetted by II's editorial staff with input from its advisory board, drawn from a pool of industry nominations and the publication's own research.
Past Honorees
Past honorees have guided endowments to Ivy League-rivaling returns, engineered historic turnarounds in public pension private equity programs, and built pioneering allocator-asset manager partnerships that are redefining how institutions access opportunity. This September, we gather again to recognize the leaders shaping the future of capital allocation.
6:30 – 7:30 PM: Cocktail Reception
7:30 – 9:30 PM: Awards Dinner & Ceremony
9:30 – 10:30 PM: After Ceremony Cocktails
*Business/Cocktail Attire
Want to learn more? Ready to join? Reach out to our team
Interested Attending?
Julia Kufman
Senior Director, Investor Relations
julia.kufman@institutionalinvestor.com
Voting & Nominations
Julie Segal
Content Chief
jsegal@institutionalinvestor.com
Partnership Opportunities
Arch Kapur
akapur@institutionalinvestor.com
Press Inquiries
Bryan Fox
Marketing Director
bryan.fox@institutionalinvestor.com
2026 Allocators' Choice Awards: Honorees & Nominees
The 9th Annual Allocators' Choice Awards will be announced on September 17, 2026, at a gala at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City. Below are this year's honorees and nominees across all categories.
Voting is now open exclusively to institutional asset owners — retirement systems, endowments, foundations, sovereign funds, central banks, family offices, and consultants.
Lifetime Achievement Awards
 Jonathan Grabel — CIO, Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA) |  Ken Tropin — Founder & Chairman, Graham Capital Management |
Jonathan Grabel and Ken Tropin will be honored at the 9th Annual Allocators' Choice Awards on September 17, 2026, at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City.
Public Pension Plan CIO of the Year
| Corporate Pension Plan CIO of the Year
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Healthcare System CIO of the Year
| Endowment/Foundation CIO of the Year
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Insurance CIO of the Year
| Family Office Investor of the Year
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Asset Manager/Allocator Partnership of the Year
| Award for Leadership and Vision
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Allocator Team of the Year
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2026 Allocator Rising Stars
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Learn more about the 2026 Rising Stars →
2026 Hedge Fund Rising Stars
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Learn more about the 2026 Hedge Fund Rising Stars →
Cast Your Vote
Voting is open exclusively to institutional asset owners — staff at retirement systems, endowments, foundations, sovereign funds, central banks, family offices, and consultants.
→ Vote Now for the 2026 Allocators' Choice Awards
Winners will be announced at the 9th Annual Allocators' Choice Awards Gala on September 17, 2026, at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City.
Three reasons firms return year after year.
The Room
Chief investment officers, family office principals, endowment heads, and senior consultants — the decision-makers who rarely sit in the same room twice. The Allocators' Choice Awards puts them at one.
The Recognition
Partners are woven into the program — on stage, on screen, in the printed book, and in the editorial coverage that follows. Visibility built around the moments that matter, not banner placements.
The Relationships
A seated dinner is not a trade show. Conversations happen across the table, not across a booth. Our partners consistently report that one evening produces relationships that would take a year to build otherwise.
From the first toast to the final note — partners can shape every moment of the evening.
A sample of partnership opportunities. Contact us for more detail.
Presenting Partner
The marquee partnership. Your firm is named alongside the awards themselves, from the invitation to the stage.
Red Carpet
The arrivals moment. Photography, branding, and the first impression every guest takes with them.
Champagne Reception
The toast that marks the moment. Glasses raised, the ceremon begins with a congratulatory toast given by partner’s representatives.
Program Book
The keepsake. Printed, designed, and distributed at every seat, and kept long after.
Music & Entertainment
The live performance that turns the evening from ceremony into event. Owned by one partner.
Cocktail Hour
The opening hour. Guests arrive, the room fills, the first conversations begin. Your firm sets the tone for the evening.
Arch Kapur
