A NUMBER of Bradfordians are among the 33 candidates shortlisted for the Yorkshire Asian Young Achiever awards, which take place next week.

These include a female cricket star born in a Bangladeshi refugee camp, a TV actor who’s aiming for Hollywood, a hospital doctor who creates drone videos and a young entrepreneur who overcame challenges to establish a successful properties business.

Jasmin Akter, Aqib Khan, Haseeb Arslan and Hamza Mujtaba provide just some of the incredible and inspirational stories behind the young people aged 18 to 30 who have been shortlisted in the 11 awards categories, dubbed the YAYAs.

Launched in 2020, the awards will be presented at a live event for the first time this year, after the inaugural awards dinner had to cancelled due to the first Covid-19 lockdown.

This year’s event will be staged before an invited audience of more than 250 guests at the Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford, on Thursday, November 4. It will also be broadcast live on the internet.

Dr Mohammed Ali OBE, founder and chief executive of QED Foundation, which runs the YAYAs, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be able to stage the YAYAs live for the first time after last year’s disappointment. The online event was great but there’s nothing quite like seeing people’s faces in person as their names are announced!”

He said there had been another amazing raft of entries from across the county this year, stretching from Keighley to Rotherham to York.

“The quality of entries from across Yorkshire has been fabulous and the stories of all those shortlisted are inspirational and, in many cases, moving and bumbling.

“Many of the candidates have overcome great obstacles to achieve what they have and it’s wonderful to be able to share their stories with a wider audience and shine a light that highlights young people and their successes and achievements in such a positive way.”

The awards will be hosted by BBC TV and Radio presenter and stand-up comedian Noreen Khan and the keynote speaker is Professor Akbar Ahmed, chair of Islamic Studies at American University in Washington DC and former Pakistani High Commissioner to the UK.

The YAYAs are open to any young person of South Asian heritage, who was born in, or lives and works in, Yorkshire.

They are aimed at those socially-mobile young achievers who have overcome deprivation and disadvantage or have broken through traditional barriers to progress and have the potential to be role models who can inspire others to follow them.

Bradford-based QED Foundation, a registered charity which aims to improve the social and economic position of disadvantaged communities in partnership with public, private and civil society organisations, worked with partners, York St John University, to organise the awards.

The award categories include Achievement in School or College; Health/Mental Health and Healthcare; The Arts & Creative industries; the Private Sector; Media; Education; the Public Sector; the Not-for-Profit Sector; Sport; Achievement as a Young Entrepreneur; and Achievement in Overcoming Life Obstacles.

They will culminate in the award of the overall Young Achiever of the Year 2021 title.

Other sponsors and supporters of the awards include: LOCALiQ, GCHQ, the National Science & Media Museum, Barnardo’s, the University of Bradford, MyLahore, Bradford Council, Trinity College London, the University of York, Leeds City Council, Mumtaz, Poverty Alleviation Scholarships, Exa Networks, Cedar Court Hotels, Banner, and BITE.

To watch the ceremony live, log on to event.sparq.me.uk/yaya-awards-2021/

THE FULL SHORTLIST:

SPORT

  • Anas Tanveer, 21, from Bradford
  • Jasmin Akter, 21, Bradford
  • Umaymah Makda, 22, Wakefield

HEALTH/MENTAL HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE

  • Dylan Singh Bhandal, 24, Wakefield
  • Harpreet Singh Chaggar, 25, Keighley
  • Yasmin Khanagha, 24, Wakefield

ARTS & CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

  • Aqib Khan, 28, Bradford
  • Shazia Bibi, 26, Bradford
  • Myra Hussain, 18, Bradford

MEDIA

  • Sivapriya Thirugnanarajah, 21, Sheffield
  • Srosh Khan, 23, Bradford
  • Hamza Mujtaba, 28, Bradford

EDUCATION

  • Mohammed Samir, 23, Leeds
  • Ayra Najeeb, 17, Bradford
  • Badr Basharat, 23, Bradford

PRIVATE SECTOR

  • Jagjit Singh Chaggar, 26, Keighley.
  • Aneesa Ehsan, 28, Bradford
  • Abdul Jabbaar Ahmed, 21, Bradford

SCHOOL OR COLLEGE

  • Husen Ali, 23, Bradford
  • Ruhee Dawood, 23, York
  • Malaika Khan, 17, Keighley

PUBLIC SECTOR

  • Aamir Khan, 28, Bradford
  • Yusuf Hussain, 19, Bradford
  • Huma Malik, 27, Bradford

NOT-FOR-PROFIT SECTOR

  • Tayabah Parveen, 30, Bradford
  • Saif Din, 27, Rotherham
  • Zain Ul Abdin, 23, Bradford

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR

  • Omar Bahadur, 26, Bradford
  • Sabreen Ahsan, 29, Keighley
  • Haseeb Arslan, 27, Heckmondwike

OVERCOMING LIFE OBSTACLES

  • Sonia Hunjan, 23, Leeds
  • Muneeb Akhtar, 24, Bradford
  • Sufiyan Mohammed, 23, Bradford

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