The Kennel Club, which runs the world’s greatest dog show, Crufts, has revealed the finalists for the prestigious Young Kennel Club (YKC) Young Person of the Year award. The accolade celebrates the dedicated, inspirational and selfless actions of young dog lovers, all of whom are members of the Young Kennel Club.
The YKC Young Person of the Year award is the highest achievement for young people who are passionate about dogs and recognises those who are going above and beyond to help transform the lives of others, as well as encouraging their peers to make a difference with the help of their canine friends.
The winners of each category have been chosen by the YKC judges and will now face a public vote, with the overall winner to be announced at Crufts, on Sunday 9 March.
For 40 years, the Shaun McAlpine Trophy has been presented to the winner of the award at Crufts, in memory of Ed and Cindy McAlpine’s son who was tragically killed in a car accident aged 22. Shaun had himself achieved considerable success as a dog handler.
This year’s finalists are:
Inspiration – Anastasiia Salo, aged 16, from Ukraine, now living in Berkshire
Awarded to a young person and their dog who have inspired others, either through their own personal journey or have made a significant positive impact in their community.
Anastasiia arrived in the UK in June 2022, along with her mum and dog, Chloe, having fled the war in Ukraine earlier in the year, and had spent many months in refugee camps and travelling as they waited for visas.
While she waited to be registered in a local school, Anastasiia spent time practising tricks with Chloe, a Parson Russell Terrier, and the pair soon took up agility.
The duo worked incredibly hard and, despite some initial setbacks as both adjusted to their new environment following months of stressful travelling and displacement, have qualified to compete in agility at Crufts.
Teamwork – Genevieve Barrett, aged 24, from Taunton, Somerset, and Emma Stock, aged 21, from Hampshire
Awarded to an inspirational partnership or team of members and their canine companions that have overcome challenges to achieve together
Genevieve and Emma are both passionate about their favourite hobby with their dogs – Heelwork to Music – also known as ‘dancing with dogs’, through which the pair’s friendship went from strength to strength. However, the pair realised there was a lack of involvement in the activity, particularly amongst the younger age group. Recognising that it can be daunting for young people to compete against adults, they built the Heelwork to Music (HTM) Junior group – providing resources and filmed videos for young people who wanted to get involved, or improve in the discipline, and have doubled the number of young competitors for 2025.
Talent – Matthew Elmer, aged 23, from County Durham
Awarded to a young handler or trainer who has shown exceptional skill and dedication in competing or training their dog
Matthew took up obedience with his dog as a shy 15 year old, after his family welcomed a puppy, Tess, a Working Sheepdog, into their life. Since then, he has soared in confidence, and has since taken up the hobby with both Tess, as well as his own two dogs, Amber, a Working Sheepdog, and Purdie, a Border Collie, while also using the skills he’s learnt to help guide others who are new to obedience, through DIY sessions and at competitions.
Creative – Lilly O’Brien, aged 21, from Dumfries and Galloway
Awarded to a young person who has creatively showcased their love of dogs through art, photography, writing, or social media
Combining her two passions – dogs and art – Lily creates eye-catching digital artwork which, following an ankle injury in 2024, she focused on creating for her peers in the dog showing world, helping them to memorialise and showcase their achievements and celebrate their wins. As well as her artwork, which has been described as “striking and memorable”, Lily also regularly volunteers at events and supports younger members with their showing.
Awareness – Faith Windsor, aged 17, from Cheshire
Awarded to a young person who actively promotes animal welfare or involvement in animal rescue, shelter work and/or awareness campaigns
Faith and her Autism Dog, Ember, a St Bernard, work together to educate and raise awareness of the work that Autism Dogs do, through school visits, at dog shows, and through speaking to members of the public when out and about. Ember is by Faith's side throughout the day and helps to calm her down. Faith also has a fainting condition which impacts her daily life and Ember has learnt when an episode is coming so will make sure Faith is safe, and will help her following the episode as well as alerting Faith’s mum.
Speaking about the finalists, Helen Kerfoot, Young Kennel Club spokesperson said: “Well done to our incredible six finalists – we were so impressed by their inspiring stories and they are truly a credit to themselves, their families and, of course, their dogs.
“Every year we receive amazing nominations and it is always such a difficult task to choose just six, but we are so proud of everything our extraordinary YKC members have achieved.
“We are looking forward to welcoming our finalists to Crufts and seeing who the public have chosen as the winner of the Young Person of the Year award in March.”
The overall winner will be decided via an online vote open to all, which can be found here.
The finalists in each category have been invited to Crufts 2025 on Sunday 9 March for a special presentation ceremony. The Kennel Club Educational Trust will be awarding £100 to all category winners then £250 for the final overall winner.