The Institute of Financial Planning has opened for entries its prestigious David Norton "Building Excellence" award.

The award was established in 2008 in memory of David Norton, one of the founding fathers of the Financial Planning profession in the UK and a former President of the IFP. It aims to find the firm which shows the most outstanding potential for excellence in Financial Planning, combined with demonstrable business management expertise.
Entries are invited from Financial Planning firms which believe that they have the potential to become Accredited Financial Planning FirmsTM. All firms (other than those already on the Accredited Financial Planning Firms register) can enter and there is no requirement for firms' personnel to be members of the IFP in order to do so.
Steve Gazzard CFPCM, chief executive at the IFP and a competition judge, said: "This competition has a history of attracting applications from great Financial Planning firms who can evidence areas of excellence and have a robust plan to become one of the leaders of the profession; it's inspirational to hear their stories as part of the judging process.
"I thank both Brett Davidson and Bridget Greenwood for providing such fantastic prizes for the winning firm. I'm sure that David would have been incredibly proud of this award which so appropriately bears his name."

To be successful, firms must be able to demonstrate that they:
• Are committed to "true" Financial Planning
• Have an engaging customer proposition
• Understand their business
• Have a robust business plan

Initially, firms are required to complete the online application form on the IFP website by Friday 1 May. Shortlisted candidates will be informed by the end of May if they have been selected to progress to the next round of the competition.

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Brett Davidson, managing director of FP Advance is also one of the judges of the competition. "It's great to be involved with the David Norton Award again this year. It has become an institution within the IFP community and I strongly encourage firms to apply. The whole process is business affirming and hugely valuable. I'm also excited to be offering 1 full year's membership to our Uncover Your Business Potential course as one of the prizes for the winning firm."

Bridget Greenwood, of Financial Social Media (UK), said: "This award recognises planning firms on their way to becoming an Accredited Financial Planning Firm. It's a privilege to support this by offering a full day's consultancy as one of the prizes for the winner and I believe that record numbers of firms should be applying this year. Good luck to everyone."
The winner will be announced at the IFP's Gala Awards Evening held on 6 October at the Annual Conference and Exhibition, Celtic Manor Resort, Newport to which all finalists will be invited.
In addition to receiving the "Building Excellence" trophy and the kudos of winning, the successful firm will benefit from the following prizes:
• Full 12 month membership of the first year of the FP Advance Uncover Your Business Potential (UYBP) Course. The represents the A-Z of how to run a successful Financial Planning business. It will provide 4 days of group coaching and development for the firm, plus membership of the private Facebook group for all UYBP delegates, plus email and telephone access to Brett Davidson throughout the year.
• A full day's mentoring from Bridget Greenwood, Financial Social Media (UK): Bridget is ideally placed to help the winning firm to extend reach, influence and connections, bringing business, clients and prospects together.
For details of the award and to apply online visit http://bit.ly/1Eqr022