A 15-year-old resident from Harrow has been announced as one of the winners of BAFTA’s 2026 Young Presenters Competition. She affected the judges during a live audition in London.
Hana won the 15-18 category of the national competition, while 11-year-old Sam, from Horsham, was named winner of the 10-14 age group.
The selected pair were nominated from hundreds of entries from across the UK. They’ll now participate in the team of BAFTA Young Presenters,which gives the chance to presenting opportunities, industry mentoring, and appearences at important events.
After her victory, Hana revealed that she had never previously considered a career in presenting while giving an exclusive speech to Harrow Online.
Hana’s Interest In Presenting Was Ignited By the BAFTA Competition
Hana said:
“To be honest, I never really considered presenting as a career growing up and thought of it being a full-time job was something I was very unfamiliar with, so it was the BAFTA competition itself that sparked my interest for presenting. AS soon as I found out this was something I could do I became very invested and hoped that I would be able to win the competition to get an inside perspective…”
In partnership with the children’s mental health charity Place2Be, the competition asked young people to submit a short video based on the theme ‘This Is My Place.’
Eight finalists were finally welcomed to BAFTA’s headquarters at 195 Piccadilly in London for a live audition day.
Hana made an interview with BBC Radio 1 Film Critic Ali Plumb about BAFTA saying her “composure, quick-witted humour” and ability to direct questions about his career impressed judges.
Hana recalled the moment she discovered she had won. She told Harrow Online: As you can imagine, I was overjoyed when I found out that I had won the competition. When I found out I was one of four finalists I thought, maybe there had only been five or so entries! So I was shocked to find there were hundreds of applications and even more gobsmacked to learn I had won! BAFTA did an amazing job of ensuring the finalists day was an incredible experience including a tour of their whole building and even a photoshoot. So being announced as the winner was the best feeling ever. I can’t wait to get started.”
When asked what helped her stand out, Hana said:
“I don’t think I could tell you exactly what it was that helped me to stand out apart from the generic answer of ‘being myself.’ But, I do think that dedicating myself to enjoying the experience helped my chances too,as I felt a lot more comfortable and confident.
You should never doubt your ability to try
Moreover, her triumph will also signify that Hana will be representing Harrow as a participant in a prestigious national programme, an initiative which has heretofore furnished youthful presenters with the opportunity to engage in discourse with some of the most illustrious figures in the realm of entertainment.
She said: “Winning a national competition is of course a huge deal, and meant a lot to me. Being able to make it through a competition with so many people was a great reminder that no matter how great a feat seems, you should never doubt your ability to try.”
In recent years, BAFTA Young Presenters have interviewed with stars like Dave Judi Dench, Stormzy and Tom Hiddleston, as well as contributing to take part in red carpet coverage at the EE BAFTA Film Awards.
Hana is now excited to see where the opportunity will take her.
She said: “With the title of young presenter, there are so many opportunities open to me, and I am extremely excited to try and every opportunity I get!”
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.”
