30 Under 30

30 Under 30

30 Under 30 is our annual campaign to celebrate young women, girls and
non-binary people in Scotland who are making change in their lives, communities and wider society.

Favour, Tamara and Lucy from 30 Under 30 2025 smiling at the camera with YWM lanyards on

Left to right: Favour Agbontaen, Tamara Rogovic and Lucy Beth from 30 Under 30 2025

Every year, 30 Under 30 celebrates young women and girls from across Scotland who are making change in different ways.

In 30 Under 30, you’ll find:

  • Campaigners and activists
  • Up-and-coming journalists and broadcasters
  • Artists and writers
  • Athletes and sportspeople
  • Community organisers and advocates
  • Charity workers and volunteers

We established the list in 2016 to address the lack of diverse representation of young women in Scotland on other 30 Under 30 lists.

Nominations will next open in spring 2027.

See all of our 30 Under 30 profiles

30 Under 30 2026

Meet our most recent 30 Under 30!

Through our eleventh edition of the list, we are delighted to introduce 30 young women and girls, aged 18–30, who are leading change and excelling in their fields. From campaigners to community workers, artists to activists, you’ll find 30 inspiring stories in this year’s list.

The young women and girls on 30 Under 30 2026 were chosen by a panel made up of representatives from The Young Women’s Movement, 30 Under 30 alumni, our advisory collective of young women and stakeholders from SAY Women and Romano Lav. Each of the young women and girls on the list were nominated in May–June 2026.

  • Rae

    A young person laughs towards the camera, holding a cardboard banner with the words 'access is the future'. They are wearing a flannel jacket and jeans.

    Rae is a disabled rights activist and founder of the Access2Transport Network

  • Aimee Wallace

    A young woman speaks into a microphone in front of a red backdrop. She has mid length dark blonde hair and is wearing red tartan.

    Aimee is a gender equality activist tackling sexual and gender based violence

  • Lucy Kleppang

    A young woman looks toward the camera, against a background of curtains. She has dark hair and a septum ring, and is wearing a blue top

    Lucy is a disability, mental health and health inequalities activist

  • Amy Connelly

    A young woman smiles at the camera, standing in front of railings. She has long brown hair and is wearing a Scotland rugby top.

    Amy is a leader in public involvement, supporting professionals to move beyond consultation to co-production

  • Mairi Millar

    A young woman is turned to smile towards the camera, against a corridor background. She has brown hair and is wearing a brown top.

    Mairi is a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament and campaigner

  • Anna Wylie

    A young woman smiles at the camera against a blurred background. She has brown hair and is wearing a light tan sweater.

    Anna is a young farmer and founder of UK Youth Food and Farming Forum

  • Anupa Joshy

    A young woman stands face on to the camera against a wooden backdrop. She has shoulder length black hair and is wearing a red sweater under a leather jacket.

    Anupa is a multi-disciplinary designer and founder of Colour Theory

  • Mercy Abel

    A young woman smiles toward the camera against a blurred background. She has dark braided hair and is wearing a black turtleneck sweater.

    Mercy is a multi-award winning marketer, podcast host and founder of Who You Know

  • Betty Andrews

    A young woman smiles at the camera, against the backdrop of a mountain. She has short brown hair and is wearing a tie-dyed t-shirt.

    Betty is an advocate for inclusion and equal access to outdoor sports and community organiser

  • Mia Benjamin

    A young woman smiles at the camera. She has long brown hair and is wearing a white top.

    Mia is a disability activist working in youth mental health

  • Ciara McCarthy

    A young person in a wheelchair looks away from the camera, against a backdrop of rhododendrons. They have lilac hair and are wearing a black leather jacket.

    Ciara is an activist, student society board member and content creator under @DeafCiara

  • Morgan Hastie

    A young woman sits on an outdoor metal staircase and smiles at the camera. She has mid length brown hair and is wearing a white top and grey trousers.

    Morgan is a graphic designer and illustrator working to support people into the industry

  • Ella Quinn

    A young woman with glasses looks away from the camera against a blurred classroom background. She is wearing a tan blazer.

    Ella is the Vice Chair of the Scottish Youth Parliament and campaigner

  • Pauline Abbie

    A young woman smiles at the camera against a light grey backdrop. She has long red hair and is wearing a green top.

    Pauline is a history teacher and Developing the Young Workforce Coordinator

  • Fatima Chaudhry

    The camera looks down on a young woman, bending over a garden plot and holding garden tools. She looks up at the camera smiling. She has dark hair and is wearing a fleece.

    Fatima is the founder of In Potential CIC and community volunteer

  • Poppy Watson

    Poppy looks away from the camera, holding their graduation diploma against the background of a stone building. They are wearing a light grey keffiyah with their graduation robe.

    Poppy is a heritage researcher focused on LGBTQ+ activism, heritage, and community building

  • Rachel Talbot

    A young woman stands in front of a charity roller banner, smiling at the camera. She has mid length brown hair and is wearing a black top.

    Rachel is a youth campaigner on anti-bullying and online safety

  • Grace Stewart-Skinner

    A young woman looks toward the camera. She is sitting in front of a small harp in a leafy outdoor setting. She has mid length brown hair and is wearing large orange earrings and a tartan blazer.

    Grace is a young musician and composer bringing positive change to Avoch through oral histories

  • Iona Fyfe

    A young woman looks toward the camera against a light brown backdrop. She has mid length blonde hair and is wearing an off-the-shoulder black top and gold necklace.

    Iona is a musician, folksinger and activist and the youngest ever elected Rector at the University of Aberdeen

  • Ruby McDonald

    A young woman smiles towards the camera against a white backdrop. She has chin length curly blonde hair and is wearing a blue sports-top.

    Ruby is a disability sport activist, para football coach and volunteer

  • Jo Dargie

    A young woman smiles towards the camera. She is sitting on a beige sofa with her legs crossed. She has mid length brown hair and is wearing a black blazer, pale blue jeans and animal print shoes.

    Jo is an international PR manager, music journalist and educator

  • Sofia Abdul-Rehman

    A young woman smiles towards the camera in front of a background of yellow flowers. She is wearing glasses and an orange hijab.

    Sofia is a museum and cultural worker with focus on Anti-Racist action

  • Jorja Boyd

    A young woman with glasses smiles towards the camera with her hand against her chin. She is sitting atop a stool against a white backdrop. She has long braided brown hair and is wearing a black trouser suit.

    Jorja is an advocate, allergy awareness campaigner, and community role model

  • Vidhi Naik

    A woman smiles at the camera against a white backdrop. She has shoulder length black hair and is wearing a green floral top.

    Vidhi is an early-career doctor and volunteer with The FGM Education Project

  • Jules

    A young woman stands in a sunny woodland setting. She has long red hair and is wearing a trouser suit and sunglasses.

    Jules is an environmental campaigner and volunteer with the Green Team

  • Wiktoria Orlicka

    A young woman smiles at the camera, against an ornate indoor background. She has curly auburn hair and is wearing a white lacy top.

    Wiktoria is the founder of She/Her Empowerment and community activist and volunteer

  • Kirsty Arnaud

    Kirsty smiles towards the camera against a white backdrop. Kirsty has shoulder length red hair and is wearing a white lace top.

    Kirsty is a gender-based violence activist and survivor advocate

  • Lok Pui Lo

    A young woman smiles towards the camera against a white backdrop. She has long dark hair and is wearing a pink floral top.

    Lok is a multidisciplinary creative producer, artist and facilitator

Support or sponsor 30 Under 30

We are looking for sponsors who share our passion for equality and want to invest in the next generation of innovators, influencers and leaders. Working with us as a partner in 30 Under 30 is a great way to achieve your organisations social and governance goals while directly reducing inequality in Scotland and investing in your future workforce.

Young women across Scotland tell us that they are deeply concerned. Recent societal, cultural, and political changes have left their rights increasingly fragile. Alarmingly, 50% of young women do not trust current politicians or decision-makers in Scotland to advocate for their rights.

To address this, we use our position as a respected national youth organisation with established platforms and partnerships, to bring young women into the spaces where decisions that impact their lives are made, ensuring that their voices are heard and acted upon.

If you share our vision of a world in which young people, particularly young women, are not just heard, but able to thrive, we could be the ideal charity partner for you.

Download the sponsorship guide

Donate to support 30 Under 30

Donate for young women’s rights

From the blog

  • Little Miss Imposter Syndrome

    Maya has long black hair, and is smiling at the camera. There are green trees and grass behind here.

    Maya McCrae talks about how young women are more likely to be impacted by imposter syndrome, and her experience of this in the workplace.

    • 30 Under 30
    • Work and careers
    • Young Women Work
    • Article

  • Late to the party – Rediscovering my autistic self

    Emily smiling at the camera in front of a bookcase.

    I only recently learnt that I am autistic. And even though I experience Alexithymia (sometimes I struggle to identify, recognise and then communicate my emotions), my feelings about late discovery are contradictory, conflicting and colossal.

    • 30 Under 30
    • Rights
    • Article

  • Human Rights in Scotland

    Elsie smiling at the camera at a viewpoint.

    In July 2024, Scotland was the first of the four nations of the United Kingdom to incorporate the UNCRC. This means children’s rights are now protected under Scots Law. This was celebrated as a historic moment: Scotland was leading the way. But what about adults?

    • 30 Under 30
    • Rights
    • Article

  • The Care Community: Adapt for adoption

    Gemma smiling at the camera whilst outside on a patio.

    I wasn’t always comfortable with my identity as an adoptee. Even now, I’m not sure I can confidently own this part of myself, simply because so much of my life has been torn between three worlds.

    • 30 Under 30
    • Rights
    • Article

  • How to start writing

    Jenny Lester, 30 under 30 nominee in 2023 smiling at the camera.

    Would you like to start writing, but don’t know where to begin? In this blog, Jenny Lester from our 30 under 30 2023 list, gives us a quick guide on how to start the process!

    • 30 Under 30
    • Top tips
    • Article

  • The gift of the gab

    Amy Lee Shergold, 30 under 30 nominee in 2023 holding a dog in her hands smiling at the camera.

    How can chattiness be used to develop a career in science communication? In this blog, Amy Lee Shergold from our 30 under 30 2023 list, discusses how she found her niche within her scientific career.

    • 30 Under 30
    • STEM
    • Work and careers
    • Article

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