Giving young people the chance to develop and grow, while earning an accredited qualification.
From local heats through to national finals, these contests are a great way to be challenged in a fun and friendly environment.
With support all the way from your local Rotary club, there is no reason not to take the leap and enter.
Fancy yourself as a budding cook?
The Rotary Young Chef competition, sponsored by Filippo Berio, gives entrants the chance to put their culinary skills to the test and be judged by leading industry professionals.
Entrants plan and cook a two course meal (main course and dessert), develop their food presentation skills and gain experience in high pressure situations.
Whether you’re keen for a culinary career or just an enthusiastic home cook, this competition is a fantastic opportunity.
Download the 2023-24 Young Chef Information Pack and Poster and contact your local Rotary club for an entry form.
2022-23 Rotary Young Chef Final
Rotary Young Chef has proudly been sponsored by Filippo Berio for over 10 years.
These awards recognise young people under the age of 25 who have demonstrated their commitment to citizenship, goodwill and understanding through various activities.
The awards can be for individuals or groups, for projects and initiatives that showcase positive citizenship and the important responsibilities assumed by young people.
Nominees do not necessarily have to be working on a Rotary project to be eligible, they just have to be recognised by a local Rotary club as worthy of nomination.
Rotary Young Citizen Sporting Hero Award
We also invite nominations for the Rotary Young Citizen Sporting Hero Award to recognise and highlight the achievements and contribution, as a positive role model to others, of a disabled or non-disabled sports participant or group, or an individual or group who is enabling others to participate in sport.
Rotary Young Citizen Peacemaker Award
The Rotary Young Citizen Peacemaker Award, reflecting Rotary’s area of focus on Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention, is to recognise young people, aged under 25, who have made a significant contribution by building peace and understanding, whether in their school, local community or with a peace project internationally.
Rotary Young Citizen Environmentalist Award
The Rotary Young Citizen Environmentalist Award, reflecting Rotary’s area of focus on the Environment, to recognise young people, aged under 25, an individual or group, who are passionate about protecting the environment.
2023/24 Rotary Young Citizen Awards – Guidance Notes (available shortly)
Download the Poster
Download the 2023/24 Nomination Form (available in the members’ area only). (available shortly)
Meet the 2023 Rotary Young Citizen winners
Share your creative talents with a wide audience by taking part in our Rotary Young Artist competition. Express yourself with your interpretation of this year’s theme ‘Rebuilding’ and submit a piece of artwork (two dimensional please).
Your artwork will go through a local stage first, followed by the district heats and then, if you are lucky, on to the national final.
The competition is open to artists up to the age of 17.
Download the 2023/24 competition Information Pack and Poster and contact your local Rotary club for an entry form.
Rotary Young Artist is proudly supported by both the Fine Art Trade Guild and artist Lucy Pittaway. The Fine Art Trade Guild is the art and framing industry’s trade association, responsible for encouraging and promoting the best in art and framing. Lucy Pittaway is an award winning artist, based in Yorkshire and is a member of the Guild and its Fine Art Group.
2022-23 Rotary Young Artist Winners
Share your gift of song or mastery of a musical instrument in Rotary’s Young Musician competition.
Participants will get the chance to experience performing on a public stage and receive feedback from experienced adjudicators, plus it offers a great chance for future collaboration with fellow musicians.
Entrants can be either a vocalist or instrumentalist.
Download the 2023/24 competition Information Pack and Poster and contact your local Rotary club for an entry form.
We know there are many young filmmakers out there, all keen to showcase their skills and creativity.
Focus your talents and submit a five-minute piece through your local Rotary club, showing your interpretation of the theme ‘Rebuilding’.
Your work will go through a local stage first, followed by a district final and then, if selected, on to the national final.
The competition is open to filmmakers up to the age of 17.
Download the 2023/24 competition Information Pack and Poster and contact your local Rotary club for an entry form.
Photography has the power to capture special places, moments and memories.
The Rotary Young Photographer competition gives participants the chance to express themselves through photography, whilst interpreting the competition’s annual theme, ‘Rebuilding’, in an imaginative way.
Download the 2023/24 competition Information Pack and Poster and contact your local Rotary club for an entry form.
Rotary Young Photographer is proudly sponsored by Jessops.
2022-23 Rotary Young Photographer Winners
Challenge your public speaking abilities and perform, persuade and entertain the audience with your display of knowledge of a topic.
In teams of three participants present arguments and points of discussion, before taking a question from the audience.
Participants can select a topic which is important to them, giving them an opportunity to delve deep into research, formulate ideas and expand their knowledge.
Taking part helps build self confidence, develop public speaking skills including how to keep an audience engaged – for example, using humour or facts.
Download the 2023/24 competition Information Pack and Poster and contact your local Rotary club for an entry form.
This contest is looking for people who care about our planet and want to make a difference. Present your unique solution to environmental problems by entering this year’s competition.
You can enter as a team or as an individual and come up with a clever way to address the challenge of waste minimisation and change how we look at waste.
Submissions are in project form and must show your ingenious way of tackling the issue.
Your project work will go through a local stage first, followed by the district heats and then, if chosen, on to the national final.
The competition is open to young environmentalists up to the age of 17.
Download the 2023/24 competition Information Pack and Poster and contact your local Rotary club for an entry form.
For further information and assistance, please contact the Rotary GB&I Young Environmentalist Team – young-environmentalist@rotarygbi.org
This competition offers participants the chance to express themselves and get creative with the written word.
Using the theme of ‘Rebuilding’, participants can choose to write fiction or non-fiction, a story or a poem. It’s your chance to be imaginative.
The competition is open to young writers up to the age of 17.
Download the 2023/24 competition Information Pack and Poster and contact your local Rotary club for an entry form.
Rotary Young Writer is proudly sponsored by Kenilworth Books.
Technology Tournaments are one day events for multiple teams of four students to engage with Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) by collectively solving a previously unseen technology task.
Rotary also offers Junior Technology Tournaments for younger pupils.
Each team is required to design, develop, build and then test their solution, with the tournament offering a fun way to develop team building, communication and time management skills.
All the above opportunities for young people are offered by Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland. Contact your nearest Rotary club in the first instance to see what they are offering in your area.
Most competitions are run on a multi-stage format, starting off with local heats run by individual Rotary clubs, running through until national finals.
Generally, competitions run from September to April, take a look at the Information Pack for the competition you’re interested in for further details.
Each competition varies, so take a look at the Information Pack for the competition you are interested in. Some are for individuals, others for groups, some are face-to-face events amd others are online submissions. Each Information Pack details the criteria for entry for that particular competition, including ages which are, in most instances, up to 17 years of age. Most competitions are split into appropriate age bands to allow participants to compete against those of a similar age.
All the above opportunies for young people through Rotary, is supported in some way in your area. For the competitions a Rotary club will support you through your progression in the various stages. If you want to take part, please fill out our enquiry form and we’ll point you in the right direction.
