Fifteen finalists presented a diverse range of business ideas at the  University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) Business Competition 2025 held on Wednesday 26 March, at UHI Inverness.

 Andrew Gibb, HNC Engineering Systems student at UHI Orkney, was awarded the Best Engineer Award (£1,000), sponsored by Engineers in Business Fellowship, for a distillery producing vodka from whey, with a strong connection to Orkney, its culture and its landscape.  

This year, the competition attracted a record number of 104 entries from students across the UHI partnership, as well as entrepreneurs living in the Highlands and Islands, Moray, Perthshire and Argyll – a 38% increase from the previous year. 

The top prize of £1,000, along with accountancy and legal packages from sponsors Harper Macleod LLP and Johnston Carmichael, was awarded to Samantha Hill from Elgin for her business, Wilcock Studios.  Named in tribute to Geoff Wilcock, a champion of creativity and community, Wilcock Studios aims to become a transformative hub for filmmakers, artists and entrepreneurs in the North of Scotland.

The total prize fund was £9,500, with the following 10 finalists receiving a prize from one of the sponsors:

1. Best Community Award (£500),sponsored by Tuminds: Stephanie Malcolm, HNC Accounting student at UHI Perth, for an affordable and sustainable alternative to branded school uniforms.  
2. Youth Entrepreneurship Award (£500), sponsored by The Apprentice Store: Nathan Strang, BA (Hons) Business Management student at UHI Perth, for addressing the lack of products that work for disabled people.
3. Best Sustainability Award (£500), sponsored by silver sponsors: Vladyslav Kudriavtsev from Inverness, for ReTech, a non-profit initiative promoting the reuse of outdated technology.  
4. Best Culture and Environmental Award (£1,000), sponsored by the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport: Szabolcs Pap, a researcher at the UHI Environmental Research Institute, based at UHI North, West and Hebrides Thurso campus, for a phosphorus recovery solution using biochar, a carbon sponge-like material. 
5. Best Computing Solution (£1,000), sponsored by Engineers in Business Fellowship: Christopher Kaan Caudwell, HNC Computing student at UHI Perth, for an AI-powered software that translates sign language into text and speech in real time. 
6. Best Tech Idea (£1,000), sponsored by Engineers in Business Fellowship: Martin Cameron, BSc (Hons)Applied Software Development student at UHI North, West and Hebrides, for Teia, a visual aid that recognises some of the unique challenges experienced by those with visual impairment. 
7. Best Social Impact Award (£1,000) sponsored by Whyte and Mackay: Jonathan Golder from the Isle of Lewis, for the Heather Isle Coffee Company, promote the island’s culture and language through speciality coffee.
8. Best Engineer Award (£1,000), sponsored by Engineers in Business Fellowship: Andrew Gibb, HNC Engineering Systems student at UHI Orkney, for a distillery producing vodka from whey, with a strong connection to Orkney, its culture and its landscape.  
9. Best Student Award (£1,000), sponsored by UHI, and an Information Technology Package (£1,000) sponsored by The Apprentice Store: Fergus Leith, HNC Architectural Technology student at UHI Inverness, for an eco-conscious company producing pure honey and natural cosmetics, supporting rewilding and wilderness restoration projects.  
10. Best Commercial Award (£1,000), sponsored by Northern Innovation Hub: Jodi and Zoe Lemmon from Dingwall, for Pour + Pair, a mobile wine-tasting and food-pairing service

The other finalists were: 

• Liana Bondarenko, Digital Design and Game Development student at UHI Perth for an AI-driven healthcare platform. 
• Chandra Hepburn, HNC Bioscience student at UHI Perth, and Holly Richardson for KinetiQ, an AI-powered exoskeleton for rehabilitation. 
• Holly Richardson from Blairgowrie for PowerPlant, an artificial tree that captures CO2 and generates clean energy. 
• Bogdan Todorow, Applied Software Development student at UHI Inverness, for a dynamic game fusing farming simulation and economic strategy. 

 Professor Chris O’Neil, Principal and Chief Executive of UHI Inverness, said:

“This competition is so important because it helps define the Highlands and Islands as a critically important region for the UK and beyond. The skills of creativity, entrepreneurship and disciplined thought are vital, whether you go on to run a business, pursue a career or strengthen your community.”