First Minister Humza Yousaf congratulated our Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards 2023 winner at an entertainment-packed event in Glasgow to mark the young people’s outstanding contributions to society. 

Crowned Young Scot of the Year, Molly Turnbull from Fife was awarded the overall prize in recognition of her resilience and dedication to supporting other young people to overcome adversity. The 18-year-old returned from a gruelling trek to Everest base camp in April, where she hiked to nearly 18,000ft to raise money for a charity that transformed her life. 

The Polar Academy work with “invisible” children who are the victims of bullying, abuse or those crushed by a lack of self-esteem. They offer young people a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of a major Arctic expedition – being part of the Academy has helped turn Molly from a once shy and vulnerable teenager into a leader. 

She said: “The Polar Academy came around at a time when I needed it most, when I was at my lowest. It changed me and my life completely.” 

Molly suffered severe bullying at high school that destroyed her confidence, making her forget who she was. Now she wants to ensure other vulnerable young people continue to have access to the same lifechanging experience via The Polar Academy.  

“Not only did the charity make me a much stronger and more independent person,” she added. “It brought me back. I am passionate about this charity because I want all young people that were like me to have the opportunity of finding themselves again. The Polar Academy changes lives in a way not a lot of other things could.” 

Molly, who is going to Heriot Watt University in September, was presented the Young Scot of the Year Award by the First Minister. 

First Minister Humza Yousaf said: 

“It was a privilege to present the Young Scot of the Year Award to worthy winner Molly in recognition of her magnificent efforts and achievements.  

“All the young people honoured at the awards ceremony are truly exceptional. Using their talent, creativity and dedication, they have made a significant impact in their communities and beyond and I am sure they will continue to be an inspiration to others.” 

Now in its 17th year, the annual awards highlight the triumphs of young people with this year’s winners recognised for their work to protect the environment, challenge stereotypes, tackle youth violence and demonstrate remarkable resilience in the face of extreme adversity. 

Hosted by CapitalFM’s Katy J, the event featured music from singer Tallia Storm and entertainment from DJ Erfone, stilt walkers and a silent disco.  

Award host DJ Katy J, said: “Hosting this year’s Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards was such an incredible experience. Not only was it buzzing with festival energy but the vibrancy and enthusiasm of the young people is infectious! Their commitment to helping others in their community is truly remarkable. Congratulations to our winners and finalists!” 

The winners will join a prestigious roll call of previous recipients including Andy Murray, social media star Jamie Genevieve and comedian Paul Black. 

Young Scot CEO Kirsten Urquhart said: “These awards shine a light on the incredible achievements and stories of young people – and this year was no exception.  

“We work every day to support young people to thrive as they grow up in Scotland and this event, filled to bursting with stories of young people doing extraordinary things to improve the lives of others, is our greatest inspiration.” 

The complete list of this year’s winners is:  

Enhancing Education & Young Scot of the Year – Molly Turnbull, Fife 

Molly Turnbull, from Cupar, undertook the daunting trek to Everest Base Camp with Kae Tinto. The walk was be 130 km and end 17,598ft above sea level, and required many weeks of intense training. A graduate of The Polar Academy, which offers vulnerable children the chance to take part in an Arctic expedition, Molly is now fundraising for the organisation to continue its work which has so positively impacted her life, hoping to raise £15k. Molly has gained so much confidence, resilience and self-belief through The Polar Academy, and the huge expedition is set to test her even further. She has completed many adventures so far, including a 60 mile row in a Scottish Birlinn viking longboat across the Caledonian Canal, followed by a 40 mile hike and wild camping, all which push and challenge Molly to show her true strength.

Arts – Overdrive Dance Company, Glasgow 

Overdrive Dance Company offers a safe space for male-identifying young people to explore their creativity through dance and movement. The group seeks to tackle the stigma of boys taking part in dance and to remove financial barriers for participating in the arts through free access, reimbursement for transport and snacks provided at all sessions. Overdrive works collaboratively and creatively to push boundaries as to what dance is and who can dance. Recent works include a performance about young people’s mental health and a film conceptualised and choreographed by Ross Hoey, one of the Overdrive dancers, which has amassed an audience of thousands. In 2022, Overdrive was selected to represent Scotland at U.Dance, the national youth dance showcase, and received a rapturous response from the audience as the dancers performed Status:Changed which explored what it is like to be a young person living in the world today.

Enterprise – Jamie Gordon, Carluke 

Jamie Gordon set up a car wishing and valeting business, Jambo G Valeting, from his home garage at only 13-years-old. Over the past three years, he has developed his knowledge of the car detailing role and has built up a clientele from the local area and beyond. Jamie is constantly trying to stay ahead of the market by researching the latest products and courses, and has so far self funded two courses to become the youngest person in Scotland to pass the Autosmart machine polishing course and most recently has become accredited for three years of ceramic coatings from Infinity Wax. Jamie has such enthusiasm and motivation for success, saving all his earnings to go towards his first car. Not many 16-year-olds have such drive and determination like Jamie, with his real entrepreneurial spirit leading him into a successful future whatever he chooses.

Community – Strut Safe, Edinburgh, sponsored by Scottish Children's Lottery Trust

Strut Safe is a free, non-judgemental service dedicated to getting women, queer people, people of colour and anyone who needs them home safely, created following the tragic wake of the death of Sarah Everard. The charitable organisation features vetted volunteers who take calls and stay on the line with those feeling vulnerable until they get in their door. The free phone lines are open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until the early hours of the morning. Starting initially in Edinburgh, it is now a UK-wide helpline service. In 2022, over 156 nights, Strut Safe volunteers spent 2,680 minutes and 54 seconds on the phone with people as they walked home, allowing vulnerable people to have the confidence to travel alone on foot.

Environment – Finlay Pringle, Ullapool, sponsored by SSE Energy Solutions

Since the age of 10, Finlay Pringle has been campaigning for the marine environment. Recently, he has been involved in raising awareness of the need for shark conservation and protecting the marine environment, giving talks, attending conferences and pushing to get information on sharks into schools. After speaking at the Children’s Media Conference, Finlay was approached to collaborate with school education company Twinkl on a series of videos and worksheets to increase awareness - the 'Fabulous Like Finlay' campaign. Following his appearance at the Young Activist Summit in Geneva, he was awarded a grant of €4,500 which he used to create an education pack on sharks which will soon be launched in secondary schools across the UK. Finley helped create the Surfers Against Sewage’s Youth Ocean Manifesto, participated in the annual Plastic Free Schools campaigns, and is currently working with a number of NGOs to stop shark finning globally.

Health and wellbeing – Sai Shraddha S. Viswanathan, Aberdeen, sponsored by School of Health Sciences, University of Dundee

In November 2022, Aberdeen Students’ Union became aware that funding was being stopped for university and college mental health services. As vice president for welfare, Sai Shraddha S. Viswanathan decided to form the Aberdeen Student Forum to campaign against the loss of the essential services. The group’s letter to Minister Kevin Stewart was escalated to a ministerial level, which led to a response from Jamie Hepburn which unfortunately didn’t promise funding beyond the academic year. Sai subsequently worked with NUS to collaborate on their ‘Save Our Counsellors’ petition, including holding a rally in Castlegate, and lobbied HE institutions to step in. She secured meetings with senior management at the University of Aberdeen, where they confirmed that the university would fund the services, and is seeing more institutions partake in talks for further funding elsewhere. Thanks to Sai’s leadership, she has kept these vital services running.

Equality and diversity – Cameron Peter Lyon Coupar, Blairgowrie, sponsored by Arnold Clark

Cameron Peter Lyon Coupar embraces his challenges with dyslexia and having a stammer to help support others. Resilient, he raises awareness for both dyslexia and stammering and to help others who are also neurodivergent through participating in research projects. Recently, Camerom helped co-design a peer support programme resource pack where neurodivergent young people will support others in schools at a student-led weekly club. He has also raised awareness for stammering by making a video for the Scottish Stammering Network and taking part in a filmed poem with other children across the UK. Cameron also uses his creative dyslexic skills to raise awareness, for example, designing a campaign poster for an Equality in Opportunity campaign which highlights the barriers a person with communication difficulties faces when applying for jobs, a 'Love my life, Stammer out Loud' mug, and a winning tee shirt for a Dyslexia Scotland competition.

Unsung Hero – Abbie Jarvis, Glasgow, sponsored by Solace Scotland

Abbie Jarvis is the face of a campaign which aims to tackle youth violence. Abbie, who has autism, suffered a brutal attack and was beaten unconscious in an awful act of youth violence which was then uploaded online. Spending days in hospital and needing various treatments, Abbie is still facing traumatic effects following the attack which have left her unable to return to school. Despite this, she has bravely waived her right to anonymity to share her story and push for more to be done to address the disturbing culture. ‘Abbie’s petition’ aims to see better bullying interventions put in place in schools, social care facilities and on the streets to prevent violent acts from taking place. The petition has been accepted by the Scottish Parliament for consideration, showing the impact of Abbie’s bravery on the rest of the country.

Sport – Nayma Sheikh, East Kilbride, sponsored by Sport Scotland

Nayma Sheikh is a Scottish women's cricket player, playing for West of Scotland Cricket Club and East Kilbride, who has won multiple player of the year awards and special recognitions for her talents. Nayma is a genuine all-rounder as a right arm seam bowler and left handed top order batter. Having played since she was 11, Nayma has achieved many accolades. This includes being part of the first ever women's team to represent Scotland at a World Cup and claiming the overall best economy rate and number of dot balls for her bowling, as well as being crowned the second best wicket taker for Scotland, all while being the youngest member in the squad. Nayma and her team are now the winners of the ICC Associate Members Women's Performance of the Year for their performance against Netherlands, where Nayma was also named the highest wicket taker.

Entertainment – Kelsie Grieg, Aberdeen 

Former footballer in the Scotland Women’s Under 17s, Kelsie Grieg, has made history by becoming the first woman in the world to qualify to play Call of Duty at elite level. The 22-year-old started playing the popular video game six years ago when a serious groin injury meant she had to give up her promising football career. She used the skills she honed on the pitch to see off her Call of Duty rivals in the super-competitive world of esports and is now at the top of her game as one of Europe’s best. Part of team eFuse, Kelsie has a full-time career now in gaming, playing for at least six hours every day and travelling all over the world to take part in global tournaments. She is an inspiration for blazing a trail for female players in the male-dominated world of online gaming.

Young Hero – Nawid, sponsored by & XSite Braehead

Nawid is a remarkably brave young man who has travelled across many borders to escape persecution. Unfortunately, Nawid’s family were all captured so he had to make this incredibly terrifying journey on his own. He walked for nearly 2,000 miles over mountains, rough terrain and rivers, travelled through eight countries and across the ocean in a rubber dinghy. Now, Nawid is safe and is settled and thriving in Scotland, passing his exams with exceptional grades and winning a Young Writer of the Year award for his essay about his experience. He has shown incredible bravery and resilience throughout the hardest journey you could make, and still remains modest and hard-working.