Morningstar, Inc. released its 2016 U.S. Fund Manager of the Year nominees today. This 30-year-old award goes to PMs displaying outstanding, long-term results for investors. The award is separated into four categories: domestic stock, international stock, fixed income, and allocation/alternatives. This year's awards include a fresh crop of fund managers, none of whom were nominated last year.

Michael Liss American Century Investments Portfolio Manager

In the domestic stock bracket, there is a lot of competition! Phillip Davidson, Kevin Toney, Michael Liss, Dan Gruemmer, and Brian Woglom who manage the American Century Equity Income, the American Century Value and the American Century Mid Cap Value funds are vying for the title. As is Scott Brayman and team from Champlain Small Company, Jerome Dodson and team from Parnassus, David Wallack of the T. Rowe Price Mid-Cap Value Fund, and the Primecap team, managing the Vanguard Primecap Fund, the Vanguard Primecap Core Fund, the Vanguard Capital Opportunity Fund, the Primecap Odyssey Growth Fund, the Primecap Odyssey Stock Fund and the Primecap Odyssey Aggressive Growth Fund.

On the international stock front, David Samra and Daniel O’Keefe, managing the Artisan International Value Fund are rivaling the International Investment Policy Committee, managing the Dodge and Cox International Stock Fund, and David Herro of the Oakmark International Fund.

The competition is also fierce in the fixed income sector, recognizing industry titans like Mary Ellen Stanek and team of the Baird Core Plus Fund, the Fixed-Income Investment Policy Committee of the Dodge and Cox Income Fund, Ford O’Neil and team of the Fidelity Total Bond Fund, Ray Kennedy, Mark Hudoff, Patrick Meegan, and Richard Mak of the Hotchkis and Wiley High Yield Fund, as well as Michael Hasenstab and Sonal Desai of the Templeton Global Bond Fund, the Templeton Global Total Return Fund and the Templeton Global Income Fund.

Last, but certainly not least: the allocation/alternatives division, merged from two separate categories into one this year. The competitors include: Robert Jones of Boston Partners Long/Short Equity Fund, the Equity and Fixed-Income Investment Policy Committees at of Dodge and Cox Balanced Fund, and Steven Romick, Brian Selmo, and Mark Landecker of FPA Crescent Fund.

The nominees will find out their fate on January 25 on CNBC’s “Power Lunch” program. Be sure to tune in! 

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