The PPA Next Gen Awards recognise the top 30 rising stars under the age of 30, currently working in consumer and business media in the UK. The awards were previously called PPA 30 under 30. 

Applications for the PPA Next Gen Awards and Student of the Year are open until 26 July. You can enter here.

We pride ourselves on the robustness of our judging process, ensuring all entries are fairly considered and thoroughly reviewed. Industry experts review and score our entries to ultimately decide the winners in a two-step judging process. We are currently recruiting our 2024 judging panel, watch this space.

Receiving industry recognition is just the beginning. PPA Next Gen winners also enjoy: 

• Extensive exposure: Be profiled across all PPA platforms, reaching over 20,000 media professionals. Your achievements will be showcased to a wide audience, boosting your professional profile.

• Exclusive networking: Receive two tickets to the winners' celebration event, offering invaluable opportunities to connect with the PPA Next Gen Board and alumni, judges, as well as other industry leaders and rising stars.  

• Engagement opportunities: Enjoy a complimentary ticket to the PPA Festival in spring and seize opportunities to engage with the PPA community throughout the year through speaking slots, awards judging, and more.

The PPA is committed to improving the inclusivity of individuals with diverse backgrounds and skills across the specialist media sector. Made up of 16 members, all aged under 30 at the time of application, and with a minimum of three years’ experience, our Next Gen Board come together to shape the future of our industry, supported by industry expert mentors.

The Next Gen board seeks to represent the best young talent across the publishing and specialist media sector. Our current board are coming to the end of their 18-month tenure and in August we will be re-starting the application process again, to be able to recruit our new board by December.  

If this appeals to you, during the Next Gen Awards entry process you will have the opportunity to tick a box should you wish to hear more about applying to be on our new Next Gen board.  

You can find out more about the PPA Next Gen board here.

All winners will be invited to an awards ceremony on 17 October at the Mondrian London Shoreditch. Starting at 16:45 with a cocktail and mocktail reception, followed by inspiring speakers and the trophy presentation. The evening will continue with more bowl food and networking, ending at 21:00.

The PPA Next Gen Awards (formerly 30 under 30) have had many notable winners over the years. You can see a small selection here.

Each year, as part of the PPA Next Gen Awards, we search for the future creators of our industry, who have showcased exceptional work during their studies, and display promise to be the talent of tomorrow.

This free-to-enter category is open to all current final-year undergraduate or postgraduate students on PPA accredited courses , as well as recent graduates of these courses (2023).  

You can enter here.

Contact Hannah.bray@ppa.co.uk for more information.