Leeds Manufacturing Festival Awards to honour rising stars
Entries have opened for this year’s Leeds Manufacturing Festival Awards which shine the spotlight on the rising stars in Yorkshire’s business community.
Now in their fifth year, the awards, which take place in June, recognise apprentices and future leaders in manufacturing and engineering, while also highlighting the employers who are creating opportunities for young people to build long-term careers in the sector.
Organisers report that growing numbers of young people are choosing manufacturing careers that offer variety, progression and hands-on experience, while challenging outdated perceptions of the industry.
Ben Wilson, managing director of MPM Group and spokesperson for the festival, said: “What we’re seeing across the sector is a new generation coming through with a completely different view of manufacturing.
"They are embracing the opportunities to develop skills, work with new technologies and build a career.
“The awards are about recognising that talent and making it visible.” Those honoured in 2025 included Eesa Mahmood an apprentice fabricator and welder at prefabricated pipework manufacturer Waites Mechanical Services, who scooped last year’s Apprentice of the Year Award and Kiera Barrass, an engineering operative apprentice at Leeds Welding Company, who was a winner in the Rising Stars category.
Award categories include Apprentice of the Year, Rising Star, Future Manufacturing Leader and Employer of the Year, alongside a Manufacturing Ambassador Award.
Each award will be presented by a sponsor, with the Manufacturing Ambassador accolade awarded to the person judged to have done most over the last 12 months to promote and raise the profile of the manufacturing sector.
The awards form part of the wider Leeds Manufacturing Festival and will take place at Leeds Beckett University on 4 June, with nominations open until 17 May.
Greg Wright, the deputy business editor of the Yorkshire Post, will host the awards evening.
Cash prizes will be awarded to winners, and a donation to the Howarth Foundation, a charity that works with business to help people who are homeless into employment or training, will be made on behalf of the Employer of the Year.
Further information and entry details are available at: www.leedsmanufacturingfestival.co.uk