19 students from universities across Scotland took part in the regional Awards this year, representing disciplines including engineering, architecture, surveying and planning.

With the industry suffering a skills shortage and with increasing demand for sustainable new housing, commercial development and infrastructure, there is stiff competition for new, skilled people, to help deliver these projects.

Leanne Hill, chair of Women in Property Northern Scotland, said: “We seek out the brightest and best students studying on built environment degree courses, asking them to present coursework to us, so they have the experience of an interview in front of industry professionals. Employers then get to meet them at the Awards event, ahead of the competition, when we announce our regional winners. It works well for everyone.”

Mairi Murray, chair of Women in Property Central Scotland branch, added: “A huge thank you goes out to our judges for giving up their time and investing it in this amazing group of young women. I know that I speak for the judges when I say that the day was utterly inspirational, and we were blown away by the candidates.  Choosing a winner from such a wealth of talent was no easy task.”

The Women in Property Student Awards in Scotland are sponsored by Curtins in the Central region and Pinsent Masons in the Northern region.

Mairi Murray added:“We are so grateful to our sponsors and other supporting businesses who come forward with work placements, or simply keep in touch with guidance and advice as they move forward into their careers.”

Women in Property has found this sort of engagement is extremely motivating and confidence-building for the students but also meets the needs of potential employers, who get to know them before possibly offering them a job on graduation.

Because of its wide geographic reach, the Central Scotland judging panels were held over two days, with two winners announced. They are:

• Tallulah Bannerman, studying Architecture at the University of Edinburgh, whom the judges described as “engaging, eloquent, well-spoken and confident, very impressive”
• Eilidh McGuigan, studying Architectural Studies at the University of Strathclyde – the judges described her as “very engaging and personable, her project was sensitive and effective.”
• A third student, Mari Helland, also studying Architecture at the University of Edinburgh, was awarded Highly Commended.

In Northern Scotland the winner is:

• Lilyana Mladenova studying Civil & Environmental Engineering at Abertay University, whom the judges described as “enthusiastic, personable, very passionate and driven.”

The National Awards programme, sponsored by Amazon, Bouygues, Savills and tp bennett nationally, was established in 2008 to seek out the top built environment students each year and raise awareness to the many amazing and diverse career opportunities offered across this industry. Regionally, each 2nd year student (3rd in Scotland) is nominated by her University, submits a piece of coursework and then goes before a judging panel in March.

Each of the winners receives a £500 cash prize, a trophy and the opportunity to take part in Women in Property’s mentoring programme. The final judging panel for 2022 will be held in London on 20th September, when Tallulah, Eilidh and Lilyana will compete with 11 other students for the top, national Award. This will be followed that evening by the national Best of Best Dinner at Claridge’s, when the winner will be announced.