The STEP Private Client Awards are open to both STEP members and non-members and entries are encouraged from all over the world and from the whole of the diverse private client community. Entries for the STEP Private Client Awards 2024 are now closed, finalists will be announced on Friday 21 June.
How to enter:
- Review the category(s) your firm will enter. Multiple entries by different offices, teams or regions within the same firm for the same category are not precluded. However, such entries will need to clearly explain why multiple entries are appropriate: experience shows that multiple entries from the same firm can count against that firm.
- Carefully check the criteria relating to the category(s) you are entering. Your entry will be judged using the criteria stated under that category, with each criteria point carrying an equal weighting. It is therefore essential that you address all criteria to ensure points are not lost. The Investment Team of the Year category carries a weighting of 60% for part A and 40% for part B. Some categories require additional data/information. These are:
a. Accountancy Team and Trust Company of the Year - all entrants will need to submit additional data on the number of staff in the firm globally (including those who are client-facing, directors, and in a related professional firm within the same group/ownership), details of which can be found when you upload your submission online.
b. Boutique Firm of the Year - all entrants will need to submit additional data on the number of fee earners in the firm globally. The definition of fee earners can be viewed at www.pca.step.org/FAQs.
c. Contentious Trusts and Estates, International Legal and Private Client Legal Team of the Year - all entrants will need to submit additional data on the number of fee earners in the team globally and the firm globally. The definition of fee earners can be viewed at www.pca.step.org/FAQs.
d. Investment Team of the Year - all entrants will need to submit additional quantitative data, which carries a weighting of 40%. Please see https://pca.step.org/2024/investment-team-year for the full details of quantitative data required.
- Ensure that your entry relates to the period of 14 April 2023 – 12 April 2024. The Awards are intended to highlight those that have achieved particular success over the past year, so examples and commentary should specifically relate to this time period.
- Ensure your entry is no more than 1,200 words. Award categories with 5 criteria will be set at 240 words per criteria. Award categories with 4 criteria will be set at 300 words per criteria. Special Awards will be set as an open text box of 1,200 words. Entries of over 1,200 words will not be accepted by the judges. NB: URL links are NOT permitted within the submission.
- Upload your submission via our Awards software provider, Evessio. A user guide can be found here. In addition a support page can be found here. Entries sent via email will not be accepted, you must use the online platform, Evessio to upload your submission(s).
- We do not charge a fee to enter the STEP Private Client Awards, but rather ask for donations to our awards charity partner, Alzheimer’s Disease International. They support and work with Alzheimer and dementia associations in 120 countries, as well as people living with dementia, carers and all relevant organisations to help raise awareness, challenge stigma and to call for dementia to be the global health priority it needs to be. Donations last year ranged from GBP150 to GBP2,000 per entry and a total of over GBP60,000 was raised last year. You will receive instructions on how you can make your donation on your confirmation email, once your submission(s) have been uploaded.
To note:
- All entries received will be treated as completely confidential at all times.
- Entrants should not include confidential information in their entry.
- Entrants are requested not to approach the Judging Panel regarding their entries. If lobbying is reported by the Judges then the entrant and any entries submitted may be disqualified.
- A firm/individual is eligible to win up to three consecutive years in a particular category. In the fourth year those winners will be excluded from entering and will be eligible to enter again in the fifth year. This rule does not apply for subsidiary/affiliate firms or teams based in different jurisdictions.
- All entries must be received by midnight on 12 April 2024.
- All categories are self-nomination, except the Geoffrey Shindler Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Profession and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
- Entries may be disqualified if application information is found to be false or misleading or previous submission information has been reused. Disqualification is at the discretion of the Judges/Panel of Experts and will be considered on a case by case basis.
- All entries will be made available to the presiding Judges Panel after 12 April 2024.
- The presiding judges may decide that there are insufficient entries of a high enough quality to progress with a category and may drop a category under such circumstances.
- Firms/directors/partners or individuals put forward for an award must declare to the Awards Secretary by emailing [email protected] if either the firm, its principals, any employee, or any individuals put forward for an individual award, are currently subject to, or become subject to during the course of the entry and judging process (29 January–19 September 2024), any criminal or regulatory proceedings by any regulatory authority that are in the public domain, or might come into the public domain during that period the sanction for which might be publicised. Where there are such details the information must be discussed by the Judges. Subject to the outcome of any investigation undertaken by STEP, the entry may be withdrawn from the Awards.
- It is not usual for awards to be revoked following a ceremony. However should an award have been given based on information which is later shown to be false or misleading or the subsequent behaviour of an individual is considered to bring disrepute upon the trust and estate profession and/or the name of STEP, awards may be revoked. Any such decision will be taken by the STEP Board.
- You will find out if you are shortlisted in June 2024.
- If you have any questions about the Awards, please email the STEP PCA Team at [email protected] or call +44(0)20 3752 3700.
