Young people from across Scotland have been announced as the winners of the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards 2020 for their outstanding contributions to the nation and their communities.  

For the first time ever, the Awards took place online. Thousands of guests tuned into the virtual ceremony and were entertained by Be Charlotte and Intercultural Youth Scotland. BBC presenter and DJ Gemma Cairney hosted the evening with celebrity presenters including River City’s Leah MacRae and Stephen Purdon. 

The ‘Young Scot of the Year 2020’ Award was presented by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to the Scottish Youth Climate Strikers. The young people were behind the September 2019 climate strikes in Scotland that were attended by more than 20,000 people in Edinburgh and helped put the climate emergency firmly on the political agenda. 

This year’s winners are:  

• Young Scot of the Year and Environment. Scottish Youth Climate Strikers. Dylan Hamilton, 16, Linlithgow, Holly Gillibrand, 15, Fort William, Kay Maciver and Esther Silverton, both 15, Edinburgh.    

• Unsung Hero. Cody Mcmanus, 11, Edinburgh. Cody boxed eight young people back to back and in return asked for toy donations for children living in poverty. He filled an entire boxing ring with £12,000 worth of donated toys, which were gifted to 550 local children in time for Christmas.   

• Young Hero. Isla, 16, and Eilidh Noble, 15, Fraserburgh. Sisters Isla and Eilidh used a lilo to save a man and a child from drowning. 

• Enhancing Education. Mashaim Bukhari, 17, Glasgow. The head girl at St Andrew’s RC Secondary School noticed that many of her fellow students came from busy households – so she arranged for the school hall to be transformed into a study hall after school.  

• Arts. Jordy Deelight, 24, Edinburgh. Jordy, is a drag artist and DJ who refuses to let medial issues stifle his creativity. Jordy has created stage shows that give an emotional insight into how life is when you have Cystic Fibrosis.    

• Sport. Hope Gordon, 24, Rogart, Sutherland. Hope, who crowdfunded £10,000 to have her leg amputated, has become a top para-canoeist.  

• Community. Hannah Weir, 13, Rothes, Moray. When she was 10, Hannah donated £120 to help set up the Moray School Bank – that provides school uniforms and winter clothing to young people across the region. 

• Entertainment. Ncuti Gatwa, 26, Dunfermline. The actor, who fled the genocide in Rwanda with his family in 1994, has become a global star thanks to his role in Netflix’s Sex Education.    

• Excellence in Education. Alexander Johnstone, 17, Dundee. Alexander has no control over his arms and legs. Thanks to his positive mental attitude, he doesn’t let anything get in the way of his education and last year he achieved three National 5 Awards.   

• Health & Wellbeing Award. Paige Holland, 14, Kilmarnock. Paige sews drawstring bags for the toilets, which the school keep replenished with tampons and towels, and makes individual bags for S1 pupils to keep their products in.  

• Enterprise. Rob Scott-Branton, 26, Livingston. Rob runs Kids Gone Wild, that delivers weekly outdoor learning programmes for more than 700 children who are struggling in the school environment. 

• Equality & Diversity. Davie, 21, and Charlotte Donaldson, 18, Brechin. Brother and sister Davie and Charlotte have become Scotland’s top campaigners for Travellers’ rights – advising the Scottish Government on how to stamp out racism towards their community.   

• Volunteering. Roseanna Campbell, 20, Edinburgh. Roseanna, who was in care throughout her teens and became homeless at the age of 16, has become a champion volunteer as a way of giving something back to the organisation that helped her in her darkest hour.   

This year’s winners join a prestigious rollcall of previous winners including actor Karen Gillan and YouTube star and make-up artists Jamie Genevieve – alongside world-class athletes including Sir Andy Murray and Olympian Laura Muir. 

Louise Macdonald OBE, Chief Executive, Young Scot: Scotland has so many incredible young people doing outstanding things to change lives in their communities and beyond every day. Congratulations to the winners, finalists and nominees who have shown dedication, passion, and excellence in their achievements. In this tough year – it is amazing to hear their uplifting stories.

Gemma Cairney: I was thrilled to host the first-ever online Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards. It was an unforgettable experience and I’m so inspired by the winner’s stories, achievements and the contributions they’ve been making to communities all over Scotland.

Lorna Hughes, Editor, Sunday Mail: Every year, we at the Sunday Mail look forward to being a part of this exciting celebration. The Awards bring forward the best and brightest of Scotland’s young people and this year was no exception. We’re absolutely blown away by their outstanding accomplishments and contributions to our nation.”

We’d like to extend a massive thank you to everyone who made the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards such an amazing night for all of our winners and finalists, thank you;

• Sunday Mail

• The Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards Judging Panel

• Reach Plc

• Gemma Cairney

• Colin Taylor

• Standard Life Aberdeen

• Stagecoach

• South Lanarkshire College

• Active Scotland

• sportscotland

• Skills Development Scotland

• Solace Scotland

• The Scottish Government

• Vision Events Scotland

• Creative Scotland