Mergers & Acquisitions announced the winners of its eighth annual M&A Mid-Market Awards. The awards recognize the most notable dealmakers and deals that set the standard for transactions valued at less than $1 billion.

Gretchen Perkins scored Dealmaker of the Year honors for originating the majority of transactions completed by Huron Capital Partners, and for embodying the important role that deal sourcing plays in today’s highly competitive PE marketplace. Perkins is the first woman to win the award.

Thoma Bravo brought home Deal of the Year for buying TravelClick, a transaction that epitomizes two important developments fueling middle-market M&A cloud computing and travel services.

The 2014 honorees, chosen by the editors of Mergers & Acquisitions, all stood out for delivering outstanding work amid the best dealmaking conditions seen in years to outpace the competition, said editor-in-chief Mary Kathleen Flynn.

Mergers & Acquisitions also recognized the following firms:

GE Capital brought home Lender of the Year for closing 248 private equity-backed loans worth $30 billion, increasing loans made for PE platform acquisitions by 55 percent and launching a new unit focused on the middle market.

HGGC won Private Equity Firm of the Year for proving its vitality even after a change in both name and leadership. HGGC achieved this distinction by raising a successful new fund, delivering stellar returns and completing 10 transactions.

The Riverside Co. received Seller of the Year for completing an impressive 19 portfolio-company sales and delivering the largest return on a deal since the firm’s founding in 1988.

PPG Industries received Strategic Buyer of the Year for a buying spree that included spending $2.3 billion to acquire Consorcio Comex SA and another $1 billion to snatch up four middle-market targets.

Piper Jaffray & Co. won Investment Bank of the Year for more than doubling its deal volume and value.

Jones Day scored Law Firm of the Year for deepening its bench of M&A partners in high-growth areas, and for continuing to serve as one of the most active advisers in the middle market.