Talented young people working in the Scottish food and drink industry are being encouraged to enter the fifth annual ‘Inspirational Young Person Award.
The award seeks to uncover inspiring examples of talented people aged 16 to 26 who own, work, or study in the sector and who are a driving success in their field.
It seeks to highlight the innovation young people bring to Scotland’s food and drink businesses, as well as the contribution they make to the sector’s future.
NFU Mutual has partnered with industry body Scotland Food & Drink to launch this year's award.
The first, second and third place winners will be announced during Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight in September, and will be awarded cash prizes of £500, £300 and £200 respectively.
In recognition of the challenges the industry has faced economically in the last year, this year’s judges are looking for entrants who are adapting the way they work and contributing to the resilience of the sector.
Last year’s winner was 23-year-old Craig Chambers, a distiller at Dunnet Bay Distillers based in Thurso.
He impressed the judges with his natural flair for the distillery business and the way he identified improvements and helped create new recipes designed to reduce energy consumption during distilling by 90%, which helped the business maintain the original price point for customers as energy prices increased.
Mark McBrearty, NFU Mutual’s regional manager in Scotland and one of the judges for the award, said the importance of young people to Scotland’s food and drink sector 'cannot be overstated'.
He said: "This special award illustrates just how wide a contribution they make and how valuable their drive and innovation are to business success.
Like all industries, the food and drink sector has been facing some very challenging times.
"This year’s judging will consider how young people have responded to this and also adapted to the way they work environmentally, such as saving energy or cutting down on food waste.”
Iain Baxter, chief executive at Scotland Food & Drink, said: “I am really looking forward to discovering the wealth of talent – both culinary and business-focused – among the younger generation in our industry.
“Scotland has a proud reputation nationally and internationally for its food, drink and hospitality. Supporting the future of our sector by recognising up and coming talent is crucial to its long-term success.”
How do I enter?
The NFU Mutual and Scotland Food & Drink Inspirational Young Person Award 2022 is open for entries until 3 July 2023.
Any individual between the ages of 16 and 26 who owns, works, or studies within a food and drink related business, organisation or institution can be nominated or enter on their own behalf.
The winner will receive £500, with the second and third place finalists receiving £300 and £200 respectively.
Winners will be announced in September 2023.
