The Financial Times/StarMine Analyst Awards are an objective measure of performance of analysts based on the returns of their buy/sell recommendations and the accuracy of their earnings estimates. The awards are based on quantitative data rather than polls of investor opinion.

For stockpickers, the calls of analysts are assessed on their actual performance against an industry-based benchmark. The accuracy of analyst earnings estimates are measured relative to peers in their sector. All analysts must cover at least five stocks to qualify for the awards.