Emerging Talent awards

The winner of the 2026 Emerging Talent in Spirits Communication Award was Maria Eugenia Harttig. Selected from a strong global field of communicators, Maria stood out for her distinctive voice, multi-platform reach, and her commitment to making spirits education accessible to diverse audiences. Maria will use the £2,500 IWSC travel bursary to complete her WSET Level 3 Spirits qualification, overcoming geographic barriers to formal education.

The IWSC's Emerging Talent in Wine Communciation Awardhighlights creative people who share knowledge, passion, and great stories. With this award, the IWSC is looking for the next generation of wine communicators - people who have recently started their journey and are already showing strong potential.

The 2026 award was won by Maisie Turner. Selected from a global field of writers, presenters, podcasters and digital creators, Maisie stood out for her clarity of purpose, modern style, and her ability to connect trade and consumer audiences with confidence and ease. As part of the award, Maisie will receive a £2,500 travel bursary to support professional development. She plans to explore premium wine regions, with a focus on California, and translate these insights into accessible, engaging content while continuing her Master of Wine studies.

The IWSC’s Emerging Talent in Spirits Business Award recognises new professionals in the wine industry who are already showing strong potential to become future leaders. This award focuses on people making an impact across the commercial, operational, or strategic sides of wine - not only in on‑trade or communication roles.

Rye Sweeney has been named the winner of the 2026 Emerging Talent in Spirits Business award. Selected from a diverse international field of producers, educators, innovators, and brand builders, Rye impressed the judges with their originality, community-driven approach, and commitment to making whisky culture more inclusive, joyful, and progressive. As part of the prize, Rye will receive a £2,500 travel bursary, which they plan to use to expand Drag & Drams to new cities, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Moray, Henley, Amsterdam, and Tasmania. The bursary will also support smaller distilleries owned by marginalised individuals, purchasing stock for international bar takeovers and amplifying voices across the whisky community.

The IWSC’s Emerging Talent in Wine Business Award recognises new professionals in the spirits industry who are already showing strong potential to become future leaders. This award focuses on people making an impact across the commercial, operational, or strategic sides of the spirits world - not only in on‑trade or communication roles.

The IWSC is delighted to announce Folakemi Alli-Balogun, founder of The Wine Club Lagos, as the winner of the 2026 Emerging Talent in Wine Business Award. Her vision, entrepreneurial drive, and dedication to developing Nigeria’s wine culture mark her as a true leader in one of the world’s most exciting emerging wine markets. Folakemi will receive a £2,500 travel bursary from the IWSC to visit lesser-known African wine regions. She plans to connect with producers and begin a documentary-style series to highlight their work, challenges, and potential. This aligns closely with the IWSC’s mission to champion global wine talent and emerging markets.

The IWSC’s Emerging Talent in Wine Hospitality Award celebrates people who bring passion, creativity, and dedication to the hospitality industry. This award recognises individuals who help make the wine experience better for guests - through great service, memorable interactions, or new ways of engaging customers with wine.

Mia Meng Zhang is the winner of the 2026 Emerging Talent in Wine Hospitality Award, celebrating one of the most innovative new voices shaping wine service, guest experience and cultural engagement in Beijing. Although new to hospitality, Mia has already co-founded a thriving bar, built a loyal guest community, launched collaborations, and developed innovative wine experiences. The judging panel were compelled by her originality, cross-cultural approach, and the speed at which she has made a meaningful impact within the city’s hospitality scene.

The IWSC’s Emerging Talent in No & Low Award celebrates new professionals who are helping shape the future of the no‑ and low‑alcohol category. No & Low is one of the fastest‑growing areas of the drinks industry, and this award recognises people who are already making a strong impact.

The IWSC is proud to announce Narmeen Kamran, founder of Temperance AF and Desert Island Events, as the winner of the 2026 Emerging Talent in No & Low Award, the first year this category has been introduced. In a field of exceptional applicants spanning advocacy, product development, community building and global category leadership, Narmeen stood out for her clarity of purpose, structural impact, and the way she has reframed what inclusive hospitality can look like. As the first winner of the IWSC’s Low & No Emerging Talent Award, Narmeen represents exactly what this new category was created to celebrate: innovation, leadership, cultural impact and a commitment to reshaping how we think about drinking - and not drinking.

What can winners spend the Emerging Talent bursary on?

The bursary is intended to help further the education and development of our winners within their chosen field. Previous winners have used the money to travel to a new wine region, take their team on an educational trip or start a new educational course. Here you can read how our 2022 Emerging Talent in Wine winner, Irem Eren, chose to use their bursary. We kindly ask all winners to share how they have used their bursary in either written or video format - we use this content to promote entries the following year. While we do not require an exact statement of how the bursary is spent, we love to hear the stories of how our winners benefit from this opportunity. If you do win, please share your plans and stories with us.

What can't winners spend the Emerging Talent bursary on?

As this is an educational grant, we ask our winners to refrain from using the bursary on personal or non-career related activities. The purpose of the bursary is to help our winners grow and continue to learn through educational activities and/or travel.

Please note: We will always send a confirmation of receipt email when your application is successfully recieved; if you do not recieve this email, please follow up as your application may not have been received.