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- Sam (11) and Hana (15) are named as winners of BAFTA’s 2026 Young Presenters competition
- The two new Young Presenters will receive a year-long programme of presenting opportunities, industry mentoring and event appearances
- Eight talented finalists interviewed TV presenter Angellica Bell and BBC Radio 1 film critic Ali Plumb during auditions at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, London
- Meet the winners here
Today, BAFTA announces 11-year-old Sam from Horsham and 15-year-old Hana from Harrow as the winners of this year’s BAFTA Young Presenters competition – part of the arts charity’s flagship programmes for children and young people, spotlighting and nurturing the UK’s next generation of creative talent.
Launched during Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week, the annual competition invited young people aged 10-14 and 15-18 to submit a short video centred on what the theme, ‘This is My Place’, means to them. 2026 marks the 10th anniversary of BAFTA’s partnership with Place2Be, celebrating a decade of collaboration supporting the education and wellbeing of children and young people across the UK.
This year’s eight exceptionally talented finalists – selected from hundreds of entries nationwide – attended a day of live auditions at BAFTA 195, where they demonstrated their presenting skills by interviewing special guests, TV presenter Angellica Bell, and BBC Radio 1 Film Critic Ali Plumb. The judging panel included professionals across the screen industries, alongside members of the Young BAFTA Advisory Group, created in 2023 to help steer BAFTA’s year-round charitable programmes for children and young people and support the wider children’s media sector.
Before being crowned winners, 11-year-old Sam showed impressive confidence and natural warmth while interviewing Angellica Bell on her experience as a TV presenter and advice for younger generations. 15-year-old Hana’s composure, quick-witted humour and ability to navigate questions with Ali Plumb on his career trajectory offered a memorable exchange which impressed judges.
Meet the winners here.
Lisa Campbell, executive director of programmes at BAFTA, said: “At BAFTA, programmes such as BAFTA Young Presenters are at the heart of our charitable mission, giving young people the opportunity to build confidence, develop their skills and showcase their potential. The standard of this year’s entries was exceptional – full of creativity, commitment and ambition – and a powerful reminder of what can happen when emerging talent is given an early opportunity. Sam and Hana stood out for the energy and originality – and humour! Huge congratulations to them both. We’re delighted to welcome them to Young BAFTA and can’t wait to see them flourish as Young Presenters.”
Angellica Bell said: “I had the pleasure of meeting the fantastic finalists of this year’s BAFTA Young Presenters competition. It was my turn in the hot seat as the final four in the 10-14 age group flexed their interview skills and asked me their burning questions, from what emoji best represents me to what my talent show act would be. Congratulations to all the finalists. It was a pleasure to take part in such a fun and inspiring day and a joy to see how bright the future of presenting is!”
Ali Plumb said: “It was my absolute honour and pleasure to be involved. It’s great to meet the young people who I’ll inevitably be working alongside on red carpets one day, their enthusiasm is infectious and I loved being able to share what I could to help them get even better. It was honestly just a wonderful opportunity to be reminded how much prodigious presenting talent is out there!”
See the full list of 2026 finalists below:
10–14 Category
Elemie, 10, London
Kyle, 11, St Albans
Louis, 14, Twickenham
Sam, 11, Horsham (winner)
15–18 Category
Caitlyn, 18, Guildford
Hana, 15, Harrow (winner)
Michalina, 16, Crewe
Noah, 16, Birmingham
Sam and Hana will join BAFTA’s growing team of Young Presenters, gaining access to a host of exciting opportunities – from attending and presenting at events to interviewing talent from across the screen industries.
Previous Young Presenters have interviewed an array of acclaimed talent such as Dame Judi Dench, Stormzy and Tom Hiddleston and fronted red carpet coverage with David Tennant, Cynthia Erivo and Mikey Madison at the EE BAFTA Film Awards. Last year’s winners fulfilled dream interviews with Jesse Buckley, Robert Aramayo, David Jonsson, Ryan Coogler and Aimee Lou Wood at the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards.
Now in its tenth year, the BAFTA Young Presenters competition remains a cornerstone of Young BAFTA’s year-round learning and talent development programme, helping young people develop transferable skills, grow networks, and explore pathways into the screen industries. Alongside the competition, the arts charity runs the BAFTA Young Game Designers competition, nationwide primary school Young BAFTA Roadshows with Place2Be, and a range of workshops and skill-building events across the UK.
To learn more about Young BAFTA and the Young Presenters programme visit: https://www.bafta.org/programmes
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About BAFTA
BAFTA’s mission as a charity is to champion the creative and cultural importance of the screen arts across film, games and television. Through its Awards ceremonies and year-round programme of talent initiatives and learning events that include masterclasses, lectures, scholarships, bursaries and mentoring schemes in the UK and North America, BAFTA identifies and celebrates excellence, discovers, inspires and nurtures new screen talent, and enables learning and creative collaboration. For more, visit www.bafta.org. BAFTA is a registered charity (no. 216726).
About Place2Be
Place2Be is the UK’s children and young people’s mental health charity, providing school-based support and in-depth training programmes to improve the emotional wellbeing of pupils, families, teachers, and school staff. The charity currently provides an embedded mental health service in over 650 UK schools, supporting a school community of around 340,000 children and young people. The partnership between Place2Be and Young BAFTA began in 2016, marking 2026 as a momentous 10-year collaborative milestone. This year, we are delivering a special assembly with celebrity hosts at one of Place2Be’s partner schools, alongside our yearly tour around the country delivering confidence-boosting and informative Young BAFTA Roadshow programmes to underprivileged communities and Young Presenter celebrity interviews during Children’s Mental Health Week. place2be.org.uk
