Young Economist of the Year 2025 - winners announced!

For the first time in the history of the ‘Young Economist of the Year’ competition sponsored by KPMG UK, this year the judges could not choose a single winner and had to call a tie!

Our joint winners for 2025 are The King’s Economists (Sen Patel, George Champion, Lucas Day, Deni Darenberg and Joseph Brannigan), and Ishwa Nawaz – huge congratulations to you all!

An esteemed panel of judges selected the winners at an in-person final hosted by KPMG UK at their London offices on Tuesday, 7 October, where a brilliant day was had, hearing from all five outstanding finalists.

The joint winners for 2025

The Young Economist of the Year is an annual competition aimed at students in years 10 to 13, encouraging them to produce their own ideas while applying economic concepts and understanding to analyse contemporary problems facing the UK and the world.

This year’s competition was sponsored by KPMG UK and FT Schools and attracted over 3,000 entries. Volunteers from across KPMG, academia, industry and the civil service were tasked with marking the entries, selecting the top submission for each of the questions to go through to present at the in-person final.

The King’s Economists team from King’s College School focused their entry on the topic of ‘Will aviation expansion allow the UK to achieve economic growth and meet climate commitments simultaneously?’, and Ishwa Nawaz from Dartford Grammar School for Girls addressed the question ‘What are the economic consequences of a falling birth rate and what approaches can be taken to mitigate these?’. Their submissions are now due to be featured in the Financial Times.

Commenting on their win, Ishwa Nawaz of Dartford Grammar School for Girls, said: “Taking part in the Young Economist of the Year competition has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my academic journey, and one I’ll forever value! From visiting HM Treasury and 10 Downing Street, to presenting at KPMG, this journey has reminded me why I love economics! Writing my essay allowed me to connect economics with real human stories and global challenges, and it’s been incredibly fulfilling to see my ideas engaged with by others. Getting to hear other perspectives with other finalists and meeting professionals in the field, I’ve gained a much deeper appreciation of how powerful and relevant economic thinking can be. It’s truly been an experience with immeasurable returns, and I’m so grateful for everyone who made this experience possible!”

Heather Sharp, Partner leading KPMG UK’s Economics team, said: “We are incredibly proud to support the Young Economist of the Year competition, which continues to showcase the depth of talent and creativity among the next generation of economists.

“This year’s joint winners impressed the judges with their rigorous analysis, clarity of thought and ability to apply economic principles to some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Competitions like this play an important role in encouraging students to engage critically with the world around them through an economic lens.”

Ahead of the final, the finalists were invited to visit Downing Street and HM Treasury in September. The students met Chief Economic Advisor and Head of the Government Economic Service, Sam Beckett, with whom they discussed their thoughts on current economic issues whilst getting an insight into a career as a public sector economist.

The finalists with Sam Beckett, Chief Economic Advisor and Head of the Government Economic Service

Discover Economics is a campaign run by the Royal Economic Society. It aims to broaden the appeal of economics to potential students, change their perceptions of economics and economists, and attract more students from under-represented groups.

The campaign targets 15-17 year olds, who are making choices about what post-qualifications to take and what subjects to study at university or through an apprenticeship. By transforming the perceptions of economics among students, particularly those attending schools which don't provide it as a subject, the campaign aims to raise the voices of a more diverse set of economists.

About KPMG

KPMG LLP, a UK limited liability partnership, operates across the UK with approximately 17,000 partners and staff. The UK firm recorded a revenue of £2.99 billion in the year ended 30 September 2024.  

KPMG is a global organisation of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Legal, Tax and Advisory services. It operates in 143 countries and territories with more than 275,000 partners and employees working in member firms around the world. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such. KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients. 

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