With just three weeks to go, the shortlist has been revealed for the 2026 Young Ealing Foundation Awards, Ealing’s annual event celebrating young people and those who support them across the borough.
Now in their fifth year, the awards, organised by the Young Ealing Foundation (YEF), recognise the achievements of children and young people across Ealing, as well as the youth workers, organisations and projects supporting them.
The YEF Awards will take place on 1 October 2026 at ECC, the Grade II listed former Odeon cinema at 268 Northfield Avenue, Northfields. The free ticketed event starts at 5.45pm and tickets can be booked online.
Five awards recognise young people under 25: Young Volunteer of the Year, Young Activist of the Year, Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Young Leader of the Year and Overcoming Adversity.
Another five awards recognise those working with and supporting children and young people: Partnership of the Year, Spaces for Young People, Fighting Inequality, Big Impact of the Year and Outstanding Youth Professional of the Year.
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, Tanya Taylor, director of development and external engagement at Young Ealing Foundation, said: “We’re delighted to announce the shortlist for this year’s YEF Awards. The awards ceremony is a wonderful opportunity to bring our community together, celebrate the achievements of all our nominees, and recognise the incredible work taking place across the sector.
“We look forward to celebrating with everyone on the night.”
2026 shortlisted nominees
Young Volunteer of the Year
Ayub Salad
Agchayan Sivasekaram
Rafia Bhutta
Partnership of the Year
JCDecaux and ABM with Springhallow School
Youth Social Network x London Transport Museum: Top Tips for Travelling Safely
Stepping Stones Together and Brunel University
Young Activist of the Year
Shannon Bu
Alexander Frank
Ninoshka Botelho
Spaces for Young People
Mahaba Cafe CIC
Stepping Stones Together
Empowering Action and Social Esteem (EASE)
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Josh Tate
Maurice Chapple-Wise
Omar Tibi
Fighting Inequality
Middlesex Pride
The Proper Project
Ilham Warsame
Young Leader of the Year
Zainab Al-Talha
Imran Abdi
Ivan Ratkovic
Big Impact of the Year
Stepping Stones Together
Violence Intervention Project (VIP)
Project Spark! (Youth Careers Collective)
Outstanding Youth Professional of the Year
Baylee Mitchell
Mobolaji Adeshoye
Shakilah Walusimbi
Overcoming Adversity
Denisecia Shaw
Bashar Alsoudi
Jake McIntosh and Luke Senior
