Yash Mehta
Yash Mehta, a 16 year old student from North London, was named the Laureate and won the £10,000 prize and handcrafted spear with 24k gold inlay for his speech on education for all.
We are honoured to congratulate:
Laureate: Yash Mehta
Second Place: Iris Heorton
Third Place: Tom Guest
Fourth Place: Emmanuel Calara
Fifth Place: Harpreet Kaur
Yash Mehta
Spear Target: Education for all
Yash’s personal experiences shape his views on education. He has seen how access to education can quietly shape confidence and ambition. For Yash, education is the hidden engine behind innovation, economic growth, and human progress. He is driven by long-term thinking and one core belief: when everyone rises, the world accelerates and flourishes.
Iris Heorton
Spear Target: Responsible consumption
For Iris, AI is a soulless imitation of humanity that depends on the exploitation of human life to produce meaningless slop. Iris loves activities that remind us how gloriously alive we are. According to Iris, AI could not achieve this in its wildest dreams because it does not dream.
.jpg)
Tom Guest
Spear Target: Protect our planet
Tom is the director of an independent film studio with over 40 workers from a broad range of capabilities and skills. Tom’s goal is to make independent films the main focus of media, and he hopes to empower people to use their creative abilities to raise awareness of problems in our world today.
Emmanuel Calara
Spear Target: Equality everywhere
Emmanuel was drawn to SPEAR by a desire to challenge normalised moral complacency and by his belief that convenience should never outweigh conviction. Ambitious, goal-driven, and unrelenting, Emmanuel believes that equality requires more than agreement, it requires action, now more than ever. Emmanuel hopes to pursue medicine and become an oncologist.
Harpreet Kaur
Spear Target: Responsible consumption
Harpreet is a passionate environmental activist currently studying acting at a performing arts academy. Harpreet hopes to continue working in the creative arts industry in the future. Harpreet also enjoys exploring different beliefs and religions and believes that empathy and compassion are among the greatest gifts we are given.
Lucy Giles
Colonel (Retired) Lucy Giles was commissioned in 1992 after studying at Exeter University. She served with the Royal Logistic Corps in Germany and South Africa, deploying to Bosnia, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. Appointed College Commander at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 2015, she later received major awards and an honorary doctorate from Exeter. She became the 37th President of the Army Officer Selection Board and later Director Contemporary Military Studies at Army Staff College; all female firsts. A CBE recipient in 2024, Lucy supports several charities and organisations.
Charlotte Horobin
Charlotte is CEO of the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce, supporting businesses across Cambridgeshire, Peterborough and Stamford. Appointed in 2023, she previously served as Region Director at Make UK. She sits on several business and academic advisory boards and was recognised in The Manufacturer Top 100 (2022) and TAF Women in Trade Powerlist (2023).
Dr Harshinder Malhi
Dr Malhi has over 40 years’ experience in education, serving as a Geography teacher, Head of Careers and Work-Related Learning, Safeguarding Lead and Assistant Headteacher. Her doctorate examined young people’s and employers’ perceptions of workplace equality. She has published on Sikhism and advises in education through the Vanguard Trust, and previously the Nishkam Trust, with a commitment to inclusive learning, academically, socially and spiritually.
