The nominees for the 2023 Yorkshire Asian Young Achievers

The awards celebrate young people aged 16 to 30 of South Asian heritage who were born in or live and work in Yorkshire, and who have overcome deprivation and disadvantage, or successfully broken through barriers to become successful role models in their chosen fields.

The QED Foundation, based in Bradford, founded the awards four years ago. The YAYAs have grown into a key event in the awards calendar.

Previous award winner at the YAYA 2023. Image: YAYA (Image: YAYA)

The 10 categories are for achievements in sport, health, the arts and creative industries, media, education, the private sector (young entrepreneur), public sector, not-for-profit sector, achievement in school or college and overcoming life obstacles. There is also an overall 2023 Young Asian Achiever of the Year.

The nominees for each category are listed below.

Achievement in Sport

• Tanisha Jain, 20-the first Asian woman to be Sport Union President at the University of York
• Anil Nawaz, 28, a football coach from Bradford
• Hussnain Chaudary,23- a premier-level American football player, also from Bradford

Health, Mental Health and Healthcare

• Rhea Narang, 24 from Bradford, a junior doctor who also volunteers at a charity for domestic abuse survivors
• Children’s nurse Nusaybah Tufail, 22, who works on the neonatal ward at Bradford Teaching Hospital
• Zenab Eman Sabahat, 24, a PhD researcher at Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, who advocates for race equity in healthcare.

Presenter DJ Noreen Khan will host the 2023 ceremony. Image: YAYA (Image: YAYA)

Arts and Creative Industries

• Mohammed Saeed, 19, from Bradford, for dancing
• Gaby Gohlar, 26 an artist whose work helps spark conversations around the impacts of mental health,
• Zara Sehar, 22 from Halifax who is a published poet

Achievement in Media

• Amani Khan, 27 from Leeds who worked her way up from her local newspaper to be content editor at ITV Calendar news
• Mahnoor Akhlaq, 22, a multimedia producer at Channel 4 News
• Kimia Modaressi Chahardehi, 21, a filmmaker from Bradford

Achievement in Education

• Mohammed Malik, 24 who went from a council estate to studying a PhD in Politics at the University of York
• Malik Fraz Ahmad, 19, from Bradford, received a scholarship from Bradford Grammar School and went on to study Law
• Nuraniyah Maroof, 24 from Bradford, conquered grief and bullying to study a Masters in Physician Associate Studies

Dr Amir Khan will attend the YAYAs this year. Image: YAYA (Image: YAYA)

Private Sector or Young Entrepreneur

• Safura Said, 29 from Halifax who overcame an abusive marriage to qualify as a Conveyancer
• Awais Hussain, 23 from Bradford who works as a management consultant for PwC
• Hasnain Akhmat, 28, who founded Bradford’s leading restaurant and shisha lounge, the Marha Lounge

Achievement in School or College

• Umair Khan moved to Bradford from Pakistan aged 11 is due to graduate in Accountancy and Finance from the University of Bradford next summer
• Safah Aftab, 17 has a rare genetic disorder and was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2022, but has ambitions to study Human Rights’ Law at university
• Hammad Khan, 17, from Bradford achieved outstanding grades in order to pursue his ambition to study Medicine

Achievement in the Public Sector

• Sadiya Salim, 30, who supports children in Leeds and has worked with refugees in the city
• Shuaib Hussain, 24, who worked in the Sensory Needs Services at Bradford Council before becoming a case worker for failed asylum seekers
• Maaria Shakoor, 29, from Kirklees who works in the Policing and Crime Team for West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

All the winners at the YAYAs 2022. Image: YAYA (Image: YAYA)

Not-For-Profit shortlist

• Samiyaa Ahmed from York, who volunteers in refugee hubs
• Adnan Hussain, 26, from Sheffield who works as a civil servant
• Rohan Ashar, 22, from York - an Activities Officer at the University of York’s Student’s Union

Overcoming Life Obstacles

• Enosh Siraj, 30 from Hull who left Pakistan aged 15 as an asylum seeker and completed her degree in Biomedical sciences as King’s College despite health issues
• Mariam Habib, 29 from Leeds is studying for a degree in Health and Social Care in Huddersfield after struggling with an abusive marriage and raising a child with multiple health conditions
• Mohammed Hamad, 26, from Bradford who was born with a rare genetic disorder, Fuhrmann syndrome, but graduated in Accountancy and Finance and works for the NHS as a Purchase Ledger Officer

The shortlisted candidates will attend a glittering gala dinner this November, hosted at Cedar Court Hotel in Bradford alongside business leaders, celebrities, and influencers.

The award ceremony will be presented by BBC TV and Radio presenter and stand-up comedian, Noreen Khan. Featured guests include the NHS doctor and TV personality, Dr Amir Khan. The keynote speaker is CEO of Morrisons, David Potts CBE.

High-profile sponsors of the awards are PwC, the Home Office, the National Science and Media Museum, Barnardo’s, LanguageCert, University of Bradford, LocaliQ, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, MyLahore, University of York, Cedar Court Hotels, Bradford Bulls, Janan, HSBC and Morrisons. The headline sponsor once again is York St John University.

Dr Mohammad Ali OBE, CEO of the QED Foundation, said: “We know from the countless reports and studies published in recent years that poverty rates in the UK are worst among ethnic minority communities.

“All these shortlisted young people are important role models for other young Asians, because you can’t be what you can’t see.”