Leeds and Sheffield students win top honour at Women in Property Yorkshire & North East Student Awards

Two students from Leeds Beckett and Sheffield Hallam universities have been named regional winners at this year’s Women in Property Yorkshire & North East Student Awards.

Ciara Patterson, studying Professional Practise in Residential Development & Construction at Sheffield Hallam University and Ellen Campbell studying Architectural Technology at Leeds Beckett University took the top awards. Nitta Thonskulprasert, studying MPlan Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Sheffield was Highly Commended.

The awards ceremony, held in Leeds and hosted by Knights, brought together employers from across the property and construction sectors, providing a valuable opportunity to meet and celebrate the next generation of talent in the built environment.

Judges called Ciara a trailblazer and a brilliant example of the benefits of degree apprenticeships.  The judges praised Ellen for her confident approach, passion and engaging style, highlighting the exceptional promise she has shown in her studies and early professional development.

Zoe Murphy, Chair of Women in Property Yorkshire & North East and Senior Associate at Knights, congratulated Ciara and Ellen on their achievement. She highlighted the importance of recognising emerging talent locally and emphasised the need for continued collaboration between universities and industry leaders to address ongoing skills gaps and improve gender diversity across the sector.

Now in its 19th year, the Women in Property Student Awards – backed nationally by sponsors Amazon and Savills, and regionally by GFW and Ryder – are designed to spotlight outstanding students and raise awareness of the wide range of career paths available in the built environment industry.

Sophie Walker from Ryder said: “Ryder is delighted to support the Women in Property Yorkshire North East Student Awards again this year. We are proud to have been at the forefront of supporting young people into the construction industry for many years, and it is fantastic to see the strength of talent continue to flourish. The candidates this year were excellent, and the winners are brilliant representatives for the region. We wish them all the best for the national judging!”

As regional winners, Ciara and Ellen will now go on to represent Yorkshire and the North East at the national final in London on Thursday 18th September, where they will compete against 14 other regional winners for the national title. The winner will be announced later that evening at the prestigious Best of the Best Dinner, held at Claridge’s.