A night to remember for 37 youngsters honoured at The Scottish Parliament in inaugural Inspire Awards 2023

Glittering Ceremony Celebrates Success of UK’s Top Talent

Young people across Britain gathered at the Scottish Parliament (Tuesday 6^th June) to attend the Inspire Awards which celebrate the talents of young people aged 5 to 17 who excel in whatever they love to do.

The Inspire Awards 2023 is a new initiative from the British Youth International College (BYITC), which was founded in 2015 by Glasgow-based academic and educator Dr Rashmi Mantri to help young people learn and improve their abilities in maths.

In total, 37 awards were given out and after the awards, the winners, their families, judges and all other attendees, were treated to dinner at nearby German Donner Kebab, one of the sponsors of the event.

“I am so proud of all these marvellous young people and the range of abilities in the room is truly humbling. We had so many high-quality entrants that the judges had a very tricky job picking the winners.

“We wanted to create a special night to celebrate diversity and inclusion and recognise young people from all backgrounds who are making all of our futures’ brighter by learning and excelling in whatever they choose to do.

“We’ve had everything from solar powered fans to content creators on YouTube and outstanding singers and dancers, not to mention the STEM stars. Well done to everyone who won as you have set the bar very high for next year’s awards.” said BYITC’s Dr Rashmi Mantri.

The awards were overseen by a high-profile judging panel including Professor Eleanor Shaw OBE, Associate Principal of the University of Strathclyde, and entrepreneur Dr Poonam Gupta OBE, Chief Executive of PG Paper, an international paper company based in Inverclyde, Scotland.

“I would like to thank all the judges for their time and commitment to the awards and also to the sponsors – Whitebridge Financial Limited, Poddar Care Homes, Dupont Associates and Solicitors, and German Donner Kebab who were kind enough to invite all attendees to its Leith restaurant for dinner afterwards.

“I have seen first-hand how achievement in learning and skills can fill young people with confidence and show them how amazing they really are. Through BYITC, we have helped thousands of students excel in maths, English, programming and cyber security.” Said Dr Mantri.

Leader of the Scottish Labour Party and Member of the Scottish Parliament, Anas Sarwar, said:

“It is a great privilege to welcome all of these high-achieving young people to the Scottish Parliament on this special occasion.

“The Inspire Awards are in themselves an inspirational concept that highlight the outstanding achievements of young people in their chosen specialities across the United Kingdom and I congratulate each and every one of them on their awards.

“I would like to congratulate especially the work of Dr Rashmi Mantri and BYITC in conceiving, organising, and bringing to a magnificent conclusion the Inspire Awards 2023. Dr Rashmi’s is a wonderful achievement for which she deserves high praise.”

Inspired by the success of the College, the BYITC Inspire Awards recognises young ‘Super Achievers’ from all backgrounds who have excelled in fields including the environment, sports, media, art and creativity, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

There were nine categories and 37 prizes in total. The winners were:

ENVIRONMENT

• Global Warming Crusader – Samarth Raghu Badoni, Linlithgow, aged 8, who attends Springfield Primary School, Linlithgow.    
• Planet Ranger – Varesh Karthik, Dudley, aged 7, who attends Russell’s Hall Primary School.
• Energy Conservation – Anaya Malpur, Edinburgh, aged 10, who attends ESMS Junior School.    

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING & MATHEMATICS (STEM)

• Best Innovator -Namra Sayyed, Glasgow, aged 9, who attends Mearns Primary school.    
• Rubik’s Hero – Aarush Naik, Falkirk, aged 10, who attends Kinnaird Primary School.    
• Rising Star – Thembalenkosi Cox, London, aged 8, who attends Rockmount Primary.    

LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

• Best Orator – Vrati Desai, Leeds, aged 16, who attends The North Halifax Grammar School.
• Emerging writer – Zoya Ansari, Glasgow, aged 7, who attends Knightswood Primary School.    
• Young Author – Vidhi Chanyal, Glasgow, aged 15, who attends St. Luke’s High School.

SPORTS

• Chess Maestro – Supratit Banerjee, London, aged 8, who attends Cheap Park Farm Primary Academy.    
• Martial Arts Champ – Anoushka Kinalekar, Edinburgh, aged 10, who attends George Watsons College.
• Badminton Champ – Tushara Rajaram, Broxburn, West Lothian, aged 12, who attends Linlithgow Academy.
• Cricket Champ – Ojas Sunil Maniyar, Glasgow, aged 9, who attends St Patrick’s Primary School.    
• Adventure Champ – Aadi Chavan, Glasgow, aged 6, who attends Mosshead Primary School, Bearsden.    
• Gymnastics Champ – Amber Nayyar, Paisley, aged 10, who attends Todholm Primary School.    

CULTURAL & SOCIAL

• Dance Superstar – Rhythm Khokher, Glasgow, aged 15, who attends St. Ninian’s High School.    
• Singing Sensation – Riya Kumar, Leicester, aged 9, who attends Krishna Avanti Primary School.    
• Best Youth Icon – Iqra Khan, London, aged 13, who attends St. Catherine.    
• Super Nova – Yat Lok FUNG, Manchester, aged 8, who attends Oldfield Brow Primary School.
• Shining Star – Mahisha Mayurathan, Middlesbrough, aged 11, who attends Archibald Primary School.
• Best Performer – Dhyaana Haria, London, aged 10, who attends Glebe Primary School.

MEDIA

• Young YouTuber – Vihaan Mendiratta, Glasgow, aged 13, who attends High school of Glasgow.    
• Young Influencer – Aashnah Bedi, London, aged 14, who attends The Green School for Girls
• Young Role Model – Tharani Maria Somanathan, Sutton, aged 13 who attends Sutton High School.

ART AND CREATIVITY

• Creative Designer – Ashley Tandon, Glasgow, aged 13, who attends Kelvinside Academy.    
• Master Chef & Best Bookworm – Eashna Chackravarthy, Birmingham, aged 6, who attends Acocks Green Primary School.    

ACADEMICS

• Versatile Achiever – Krithik Gopinath, Cambridge, aged 15, who attends Godmanchester Community Academy.

• Rising Superstar – Alexander-George Rusu, Birmingham, aged 5, Mere Green Primary School    
• Master Achiever – Arjun Kapoor, Slough, aged 7, who attends Castleview School.    
• Whiz Kid – Jitendriya Dhinesh, Larbert, aged 7, who attends Kinnaird Primary School.    

Share your problem-solving and decision-making skills

ALL ROUNDERS

• Yoga Champion – Ishwar Vishwanath Sharma, Halstead, Sevenoaks, Kent, aged 13, who attends Whitgift School.
• Young Philanthropist – Jevindu Senyuth, Newcastle Upon Tyne, aged 5 who attends Darras Hall Primary School.
• Young Trailblazer – Taran Vignesh, Edinburgh, aged 9, who attends Kirkliston Primary School.
• High Flier – Mitali Peecha, Glasgow, aged 11, who attends Kelvinside Academy.
• Powerhouse Performer – Advik Mittal, Glasgow, aged 11, who attends St. Patricks Primary School.
• Wonder Kid – Vishruth Sai Keshettivar, Basingstoke, aged 9, who attends Oakridge Junior School.
• Young explorer – Eivaan S Lamba, Jersey, aged 7, who attends St. Saviour Primary School.

The other award judges were Professor Bill Buchanan OBE, Professor of Applied Cryptography at Edinburgh Napier University; Rohini Sharma Joshi OBE, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant; Derek Timpany, Education Management Consultant; Jai Aenugu, Founder of Aberdeen-based cyber security consultancy TechForce, and Harminder Berman, a former Arts Development Officer with culture and sports charity, Glasgow Life.

Dr Mantri set up BYITC after using an abacus to teach her son basic arithmetic. The college now runs global franchises, including Dubai and Sri Lanka, and recently launched its first UK franchise in Basingstoke, Hampshire. Further UK franchises are anticipated in the coming months.

To find out more about the awards and the stories of each individual winner, visit the BYITC Inspire Awards 2023 page.