I got an email a few weeks back asking if I'd judge the Financial Services Forum Awards for Innovation and Transformation. My first thought was about the time commitment. My second thought was about the hundreds of hours I've spent over the past decade watching financial services marketing teams struggle to get brilliant ideas over the line.
I said yes within about five minutes.
Here's the thing: I've been working with financial services brands at Creode for long enough to know that innovation in this sector doesn't look like innovation in tech startups or retail. It's harder. You're navigating compliance frameworks that can turn a simple social post into a three-week approval process. You're explaining complex products to audiences who've been burned before. You're trying to move quickly in an industry built on stability and trust.
When someone pulls off something innovative in this environment, it deserves recognition.
If you're not familiar with the Financial Services (FS) Forum , it's worth understanding what they're about. They're a membership community specifically for marketers in financial services, which sounds niche until you realise how valuable that focus is.
We became members because they get it. They understand that marketing a mortgage product isn't the same as marketing trainers. They know that "move fast and break things" doesn't fly when you're FCA-regulated. Their events, knowledge hub, and network of over 5,000 FS marketing professionals create a space where people can discuss real challenges without having to explain the basics.
The community includes everyone from retail banks to fintechs, building societies to wealth managers. What connects them isn't the size of their budget or their tech stack. It's the shared experience of trying to do creative, effective marketing within a framework that wasn't designed for speed or experimentation.
That's exactly why membership matters to us. We're not generalists trying to understand financial services; we're specialists in this sector. Being part of the FS Forum keeps us connected to the people doing the work, facing the same problems our clients face, and finding clever ways around them.
The 2026 Awards for Innovation and Transformation cover eighteen categories, and what strikes me about them is how practical they are. This isn't about flashy campaigns that win creative awards but deliver no results. It's about real work that made a real difference.
There are categories for generative AI use, app redesigns, website transformations, and social media innovation. There's one specifically for innovation on a small budget (under £100k), which honestly might be the most competitive category because constraints breed creativity. There's recognition for transformative agency partnerships, which matters to us obviously, but also reflects how the best work happens when clients and agencies trust each other.
What I like most is that the judges are looking for evidence. They want to know what wasn't working, what you changed, and what happened as a result. They want to see the thinking behind the work, not just the shiny end product.
I know awards can feel like vanity projects. Another trophy for the shelf, another line in the pitch deck. But here's what I've seen happen when teams enter these things properly.
First, it forces you to articulate what you did and why it mattered. That's valuable even if you don't win. The process of writing it down and getting clear on the problem you solved and the impact you had makes you better at talking about your work. It helps you see patterns you can repeat.
Second, it gives your team recognition that they probably don't get enough of. Financial services marketing can feel like a thankless grind. Compliance says no. Legal says no. The budget gets cut. The campaign performs well but not spectacularly. Having someone outside your organisation say "this was genuinely good work" matters more than you'd think.
Third, it positions you and your organisation as leaders in the sector. When you're trying to attract talent, justify budgets, or make the case for trying something new, being able to point to recognised innovation helps. It's social proof that what you're doing isn't just keeping the lights on, it's moving the industry forward.
I can't speak for the other judges, but I can tell you what will catch my eye when I'm reading submissions.
I want to see honesty about what wasn't working. The best entries won't pretend that everything was fine before the innovation happened. They'll be clear about the problem, even if it's uncomfortable.
I want to see clear thinking about why you chose the approach you did. What were the alternatives? Why did you go this way instead? What assumptions did you test?
And I want to see evidence of impact. Not just vanity metrics. Not just "engagement increased." Show me how it changed behaviour, improved outcomes, or solved a business problem. If you can connect it to revenue, retention, or cost savings, even better.
The deadline is 6th March 2026. Entries are £150 plus VAT for the first one, then half price for additional categories. Keep it under 1,000 words or the judges will mark you down, which seems fair given we're all drowning in content.
Financial services have a reputation problem when it comes to innovation. People assume we're slow, risk-averse, and stuck in our ways. Sometimes that's true. But I've seen enough brilliant work from teams in this sector to know it's not the whole story.
The challenge isn't a lack of ideas. It's the environment in which those ideas have to survive. When you manage to push something genuinely innovative through that environment and make it work, that's worth celebrating.
So if you've done something this year that you're proud of, something that made a difference, put it forward. The worst that happens is you don't win. The best that happens is you get recognised for work that deserves it.
Want to know more about the awards? Check out the full category list and entry details or learn more about The Financial Services Forum.
Proud to partner with
