The nominees for the Yorkshire Asian Young Achiever Awards 2025, which celebrate the success stories of young British Asians across the region, have been announced.

This leading award scheme, known as the YAYAs, highlights the achievements of young people aged 16 to 35 of South Asian heritage who were born in or live and work in Yorkshire, and who have overcome deprivation and disadvantage, or overcome barriers to become successful in their chosen fields.

Set up in 2020 by QED Foundation to mark the organisation’s 30th anniversary, the YAYAs have quickly established themselves as one of the key events in Bradford’s awards calendar.

The Bradford-based charity was founded in 1990 by Dr Mohammed Ali and today is widely recognised for its pioneering work in tackling inequality and promoting social and economic advancement among ethnic minority groups, both here in the UK and abroad.

The nine categories for this year’s YAYAs are for achievements in sport, health, the arts and creative industries, media, education, the private sector (young entrepreneur), public sector, not-for-profit sector, and overcoming life obstacles. There is also an overall 2025 Young Asian Achiever of the Year, with this year’s winners announced at a special gala event in Bradford at the end of November.

Shortlisted for Achievement in Sport is Ayesha Khan, 27, who has played football for Sheffield United, Sheffield FC and Sheffield Wednesday; Nohmaan Hussain, 26, from Sheffield, a rising star in boxing who also works as an NHS Cardiac Intensive Care Practitioner, and Sehran Ahmed, 22, who has transformed student sport at the University of York.

In the Health, Mental Health and Healthcare category is 35-year-old Zoyah Hussain, a North Yorkshire GP who cares for two sons with autism and is training to be a GP trainer; Usman Javaid, 20, a wellbeing practitioner and mental health awareness campaigner from Bradford, and Adil Mohammed, 24, from Sheffield, who overcame early barriers to become a paramedic with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service.

The Arts and Creative Industries shortlist includes 24-year-old Awais Hussain, from Bradford, co-founder of a UK charity celebrating South Asian heritage; Rayn Rabib, 17, an award-winning British Bangladeshi musician also from Bradford, and Heena Mahmood, 33, a Leeds-based NHS physiotherapist whose debut book explores racism in healthcare.

The Achievement in Media category features 33-year-old Rima Ahmed who presents the BBC Radio Leeds Weekday Breakfast Show; Sahdiya Pervez, 29, who juggles her role as a teacher with online workshops while also creating content on various social media platforms, and Musharaf Asghar, 29, who has lived with a stammer since childhood. He shot to fame on Channel 4’s Educating Yorkshire and is now a motivational speaker.

Shortlisted for Achievement in Education are 17-year-old Yashica Govind Vasanad, from Halifax, who has overcome grief to flourish at school and become an active racial equality and anti-bullying campaigner. Joining her is 19-year-old Mohammed Ali Adnan, an inspirational student at Bradford College who lives with Spina Bifida, and Shames Maskeen, 34, who was the first person in his family to attend university and is now associate director of The Race Institute at Leeds Trinity University.

The Achievement in the Private Sector or Young Entrepreneur category features Ali Zafar, 31, from Heckmondwike. He arrived in the UK aged seven and unable to speak English and is now CEO of a social enterprise promoting financial literacy for young people.

Sidrah Ahmer is an entrepreneur and community leader in Bradford, who runs three businesses that empower local women through jobs and training. Joining them is 32-year-old Falaq Ujjala, also from Bradford, who has overcome grief and personal challenges and last year opened a pioneering café and community space in the city.

The Achievement in the Public Sector nominees are Aqsa Saleem, 21, a police officer from Dewsbury, who is a visible role model for young Asian women; Ismail Hussain Siraji Uddin, 20, who, at the age of 19, became one of the youngest district councillors in the UK, and Aisha Hussain, 34, who works for the Civil Service dealing with serious crime cases. Both come from Bradford.

The Not-For-Profit shortlist sees Aleem Bashir, 32, CEO of the University of Bradford Student Union, alongside Neena Ugail, 25, from West Yorkshire, who promotes STEM for young technologists, and 23-year-old Maleehah Hussain, a law graduate from the University of Bradford, who has combined studying and volunteering despite personal family loss.

In the Overcoming Life Obstacles category there is Dr Madiah Mahmood, 29, from Leeds, who survived life-threatening autoimmune encephalitis in 2016 and is now a resident doctor at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Joining her is 33-year-old Nilah Ghulam, a disability practitioner at York St John University, who passionately supports adults with disabilities, and Sabba Nosheen, 31, from Bradford, who juggles running her own balloon art and event decor business, with being a single mother to three children with severe allergies.

The shortlisted candidates will attend a glittering gala dinner on November 27, hosted at Cedar Court Hotel in Bradford alongside business and civic leaders when the winners will be announced. The awards ceremony will be presented by TV and radio presenter Noreen Khan, and the keynote speaker is Rami Baitieh, Chief Executive of Morrisons PLC.

High profile sponsors of the awards are Janan, the National Science and Media Museum, LocaliQ, University of Leeds, Born in Bradford, Leeds Community Foundation, University of York, Cedar Court Hotels, Bradford 2025, MyLahore, Sterling and Morrisons. The headline sponsor once again is York St John University.

This year’s YAYAs coincides with QED Foundation’s 35th anniversary. Since its inception, the organisation has helped more than 40,000 people from ethnic minority backgrounds, including new arrivals from 26 countries, by providing crucial education and training, which increases their chances of a better job and not being caught up in a cycle of poverty.

Dr Mohammed Ali OBE, QED founder and chief executive, said: “As we celebrate 35 years of QED Foundation, we are delighted to welcome back the YAYAs for the fifth time, and we’re thrilled, too, with the quality of the entries from right across the region.

“Many of the shortlisted candidates have overcome great hardships or challenges in order to be successful, which is why it is wonderful to be able to share their inspiring stories with a wider audience and highlight them in such a positive way.”

Adeeba Malik CBE, deputy chief executive of QED Foundation, said: “These awards demonstrate the wealth of young talent that exists in our communities. The YAYAs aren’t merely a celebration, they’re a campaign that inspires others. As someone who grew up in this country without having role models to follow, I know how important they, and their absence, can be. If people see someone successful who looks like them and talks like them, the impact can be truly profound.”

Professor Karen Bryan OBE, Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, York St John University, said: “York St John University is proud to have been the lead partner with the YAYA Awards since 2020 when they were launched. The YAYAs are a celebration of the talent, determination, and creativity of young people of South Asian heritage. These awards play an incredibly important role in highlighting the inspiring impact this year’s nominees and winners are making in their communities. For us, they serve as a powerful reminder of our commitment to ensuring young people from all backgrounds have access to the opportunities and support they need.”

For more information visit www.qed-uk.org