About this award

This award recognises an IFA member or IFA student, new to the profession, who has demonstrated exceptional promise, ambition and potential in accounting in the last 12 months.

Who can enter

You can nominate yourself or be nominated by a member of staff within a business or practice.

Nominees must be:

• A current IFA student either studying an accounting-related qualification or employed by a business or practice; or
• An IFA member for fewer than 3 consecutive years.
• In current good standing (no academic/disciplinary/regulatory matters). 

Nomination criteria

Judges will be looking for the nominee’s professional development over the last 12 months and what they want to achieve in their accountancy career.

The nomination must:

• Provide a summary of the work the business or practice is involved in – 400 words maximum. 
• Tell us about the nominee’s commitment and contribution to their role - 400 words maximum
• Tell us about the nominee’s ongoing professional development - 400 words maximum. 
• Tell us about the nominee’s contribution to the community where relevant - 400 words maximum.
• Include testimonials, as applicable, from academic advisers, colleagues and clients which provide evidence and demonstrate why the nominee is an asset to the business or IFA practice and the profession.

Submission criteria

Your nomination must be:

• Written in English
• 1000 –1600 words approximately excluding testimonials
• Include all testimonials in support of this nomination

Nominations open on Monday 9 February.
Nominations close on Sunday 19 April 2026.
The shortlist will be announced on Thursday 21 May.