The HW Insiders Award program recognizes your organization’s operational all-stars — those insiders who are your company’s best-kept secret, yet vital to its success.

If your company or team has an Insider who is making all the difference in helping your organization achieve success, nominate them.

Honorees will be profiled in the September issue of HousingWire Magazine and will receive ongoing recognition on HousingWire.com. Honorees will also receive a free year subscription to HousingWire Magazine.

Program Details

• The 2021 nomination period is closed. Be sure to check back next year!
• Winners announced: September issue of HousingWire Magazine

Past Winners

Eligibility & Criteria:

Nominees must be working in the U.S. housing economy, which includes businesses in residential mortgage lending, servicing, investments, real estate or fintech. Each application must provide tangible evidence of significant impact within their individual company, primarily focused upon the past 12 months.
 
We recognize those who serve their companies in outstanding ways — through operations, product development, hiring, marketing campaigns, or making things more efficient. Don’t let that list limit you — we aren’t as focused on titles but on the value this person brings to the company. Put another way, what this person does is not as important as how they do it (excellently, stunningly well).
 
We celebrate people who are often their company’s best-kept secret: the one person known within the company as a critical part of that company’s success, but who may or may not be as well known throughout the larger industry. That’s the genesis of the word Insiders — absolutely essential to the performance of their companies within the housing space. Impact doesn’t always have to be measured in quantifiable terms, but the more specifics you can provide on why they are valuable, the stronger the application will be.

Submissions are non-transferable and non-refundable.

Candidate Examples

An operational all-star at your company might look quite different from one at another company. We are looking for the unsung heroes that make up the secret sauce in your organization. These are key contributors who should be recognized for their outstanding contribution to your organization and to the housing economy.

Here are a couple of quite different examples of the types of candidate the HW Insiders Award covers:

Example #1 — Laurie

Laurie is a mortgage loan officer with more than 25 years of lending experience.

Laurie freely shares her expertise to personally assist numerous families with their financing needs.  She is a rock star with an extensive background in all facets of mortgage lending, including management and underwriting.  Laurie is well versed in all types of mortgages – from conventional, FHA/VA, jumbo to construction/203k rehab loans, home equity lines, and everything in between.

Example #2 — Frank

Frank is a division vice president of mortgage operations.

He has experience with quality assurance, underwriting and product management. When it comes to project execution, Frank is a force to be reckoned with. He led his team to implement new procedures to insure TRID compliance and reduced average time to close by four days.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the submission questions for HW Insiders?

• What’s your elevator pitch? Give us the elevator pitch on why you think this nominee should be a HW Insider honoree. (No more than three sentences.)
• Contribution to your organization. Provide the reasons this person is so valuable to your organization, focusing particularly on the last 12 months as applicable. You may also include any volunteer work or trade organizations they are a part of. 
• Leadership and excellence. Describe how the nominee has actively demonstrated excellence and reflected the values of your company. One or two paragraphs recommended.

1. Who can I contact if I have questions?
   For questions about HW Insiders or any of our awards programs, contact Lesley Collins at lcollins@housingwire.com.
2. What is the HW Insiders Award program?
   This program recognizes mid-level industry professionals who have become essential forces in their respective fields within housing and mortgage finance — those whose enterprising efforts are moving markets forward, each and every day.
3. When will HousingWire announce the winners of the HW Insiders Award program?
   Winners will be announced on HousingWire.com on September 1, 2021 and in the September issue of HousingWire Magazine.
4. When is the nomination period?
   Nominations will open Tuesday, June 8, 2021 – Friday, June 25, 2021. A late fee of $100 will be added to all nominations submitted from June 25, 2021 to June 29, 2021.
5. What are the qualifications for consideration?
   Nominees must be working in the U.S. housing economy, which includes businesses in residential mortgage lending, servicing, investments, or real estate. Each application must provide tangible evidence of significant impact within their individual company, primarily focused upon the past 12 months.
6. Who decides who will make the list of HW Insiders Award winners?
   A selection committee made up of HousingWire’s editors, executives and reporters will decide who is nominated.
7. How can I nominate someone?
   Nominations must be submitted via HousingWire’s official award submission platform. Click the registration button above once the nomination period has opened.
8. Why is there a nomination fee?
   The nomination fee ensures award winner integrity by only allowing serious candidates to be nominated, and covers editorial time. It takes a significant amount of time and resources for HousingWire’s editorial team members to organize and successfully determine who will be named to this year’s list.
9. Can I just call you or send you an e-mail with the name of the person I’d like to nominate?
   No. We need to have the application completed, including contact information for the person you are nominating.
10. I want to nominate my boss, but would it be better if someone higher up nominated him? Can I nominate a family member?
    You can nominate yourself, a client, a family member, your boss, an employee, or an acquaintance. The most important thing is that you state a clear, business-oriented reason for the nomination.
11. Does it help if many people nominate the same person?
    No, only one nomination per person is necessary to be considered by the panel.
12. Can more than one nominee from the same company be considered?
    Yes, multiple professionals from the same company can be nominated and will each receive individual consideration.
13. How does the process work?
    After the nomination period closes, the HousingWire selection committee begins an extensive process of reviewing all nominations, evaluating accomplishments and applying industry knowledge to determine the impact each nominee has on their organization and the industry. Following review, the editorial selection committee holds a series of meetings to determine which candidates will be chosen. We strive to select the most impressive and impactful leaders leveraging the nomination information and industry knowledge of organizations, accomplishments and trajectory. The process takes a significant amount of time over a compressed schedule.
14. What is required of those who are selected?
    Candidates who are selected may be contacted for additional information regarding their submission or for an updated headshot to include alongside their profile. We may reach out to some nominees in the future for a brief interview or Q&A.
15. Can I contact you to see how my nominee is doing in the judging process?
    Unfortunately, we cannot provide status reports. If we need any further information, we will contact you.
16. I want to be picked for the HW Insiders Award program. Will it help to hire a public relations firm?
    No. PR firms often submit candidates, but they do not influence the judging.
17. I was not selected for the HW Insiders Award. Can you tell me why?
    With hundreds of candidates and only a few spots available, the majority of hopefuls will not be chosen. We cannot explain why you weren’t picked because it won’t be for any one reason, but for reasons that have to do with presenting a diverse range of professions and professionals spanning the U.S. housing economy.

Award Materials, Licensing, Permissions, and Reprints

For additional award materials, like plaques please visit our online store here. 

For award logos, permissions, and reprints, please reach out to Lesley Collins.  All winners will be provided the award logo to use as they wish to promote their win.