30 Under 30 List 2025

AYP's 30 Under 30 award is back! We're incredibly excited to launch this year's competition to discover and celebrate Aberdeen's most inspiring and dedicated young professionals.

For those who are hearing about this for the first time, AYP's 30 Under 30 List is a competition that lets people put forward nominees under the age of 30 that have had an exceptional impact on their chosen field and on Aberdeen's professional landscape.

This impact can come in all forms of shapes and sizes so don't be afraid to shout your story loud! We want to hear what makes you one of Aberdeen's most incredible achievers or what makes the person you nominate a real inspiration to you.

So let's hear it for all the amazing talent Aberdeen has to offer and share their stories; Get nominating now!

Nomination FAQ / Terms & Conditions

Are there any requirements to be nominated for the 30 Under 30 List?

Good question! There's only one requirement; The nominee must 29 years old or younger as of the 31st December 2025. (e.g. if you were born the 8th December 1995 you would be 30 by the 31st December and not eligible for the list)

What information will I need for a nomination?

This year we've got you covered with our new nomination form outlining everything you need to submit, but just to keep things clear we've popped in a list of what's needed for this year's nominations:

Nominee details to provide:
- Date of Birth
- Current job title & place of work
- Contact number
- Any social media handles / links
- A headshot suitable for publication
- Statements for each of the 3 nomination questions (max. 150 words each)
Notes:
- If you are self-nominating, you will also be required to provide a professional reference who will be able to verify the experience you've set out in your application.
- If you are nominating someone else, you will need to provide your name and contact details, and confirm that you have their permission to enter them.

What is the judging process for 30 Under 30?

AYP's 30 Under 30 is judged by the AYP committee based purely on the information provided in the nomination process. If any committee member(s) knows, or has a personal relationship with, a nominee then the committee member(s) will withdraw their vote for that nominee to ensure fairness and equal chance for all nominations.

The judges will be scoring your application in three areas:

Impact - has your work made a significant difference to your sector, your colleagues, or your community? Tell us how your work has helped people or changed lives. Take the opportunity to give us quantitative as well as qualitative analysis of your work.
Scale - have you done something really big and impressive in your short career to date? Whether it's at a community, town or national level, tell us something that will make us go wow!
Quality - how is your work of an industry-leading standard, raising the bar for the rest of your sector? Show us that you're second to none in what you do. Maybe you were recognised by your boss, your peers or team for some amazing output? Show us the evidence for what was said or measured.

When will I know if I've made the list?

This year's nominations form will close on the 12th September, and the winners announced on the 26th September. All winners should make sure they are available for the 30 Under 30 winner's event at the Bartender's Lounge on the 2nd October @ 6pm.

Good luck with your nomination and we wish you every success in making this year's 30 Under 30 list!