The BDA Student Champion of the Year Award is for a student who has contributed over and above the requirements of their course to promote the dietetic profession.
Applications for 2026 are open until Monday 13 April at Noon. The 2026 awards will be presented on Wednesday 3 June in Birmingham.
Entry Criteria
- A student or graduate member of the BDA*
- A current student of dietetics or graduated or due to graduate in 2026.
*award not open to the current BDA student representative
Download the application form
Past winners
Jacob is a Year 2 student on the MDiet programme at Newcastle University. Since commencing University as a mature applicant, he has enthusiastically embraced his studies and the wider promotion of the nutrition and dietetic profession. He has been a positive role model as a Peer Mentor, successfully guiding his mentees to win a cross-university ‘Sustainability Development Goals Challenge’, which also saw him being nominated, and winning, ‘Peer Mentor of the Year’.
Jacob is now voluntarily working to implement the groups ‘tailored video-based educational dietary initiative’ to promote sustainable development. He has been a student representative for his cohort, secretary for the staff:student liaison committee, and also promoted the profession through his role as a social media intern. He has also been selected to sit on the NHS Multi-Professional Student Council. His enthusiasm for nutrition and dietetics is evident in all he does, and he very much deserves this nomination for BDA Student Champion of the Year.
2025 - Dean Hargan, Cardiff Metropolitan University
2024 - Shona Wells, Newcastle University (The third time in a row that a student from Newcastle has won!)
2023 - Jacob Hamilton, Newcastle University
2022 - Marta Buczkowska, Newcastle University
2021 - Linsey Cockburn
2020 - Elaine Penman, Glasgow Caledonian University
Nominate a student star for this award