Holyrood Garden Party & Political Awards 2025

(entry period from June 2024 to July 2025) 

MSP of the Year
in association with Coca Cola European Partners

While awards of this nature tend to always be reserved for the party leaders, there are many talented MSPs who sit squarely behind the leader and help their star shine bright, so nominations for this award should cast the net a little wider than just the usual suspects and answer, ‘who has really shone?’ 

Tweet of the Day

This award will be presented to the MSP who has used Twitter or any other social media platform to best effect to be witty, to inform or even to shut down critics. The judges will be looking for eloquence, dignity, humour, and grace, and all in the best possible taste. 

Political Staffer of the Year
in association with the Association for Project Management 

A hugely popular award which is presented to someone who works behind the scenes for their MSP and has demonstrated a real commitment to digging that bit deeper, going the extra mile and unearthing facts, figures and human stories that assist politicians in making good policy or in simply changing one person’s life.

Backbencher of the Year

It takes a certain type of MSP to be able to make their presence felt without the natural platform of a frontbench position. Who has made themselves noticed, gone against a conventional party line or simply put forward a point that forcibly cuts through a lot of party-political rhetoric? 

One to Watch

The May 2021 election saw an enormous turnover in terms of the MSPs now sitting in the parliament for its sixth session. A much more diverse Chamber with new voices and a whole range of life experiences. Who has already made a mark in the debating chamber or gained a reputation in committee and is the one to watch from the 2021 intake or been in the parliament for longer but now really finding their feet?

Political Hero of the Year

Sometimes a cause or a campaign inspires a politician or a group of MSPs to cross party lines or to just work tirelessly to do the right thing. This award will go to an MSP or a group of MSPs who have gained respect from across the chamber for their work in championing a particular cause or for achieving a tangible result. 

Flushable Motion of the Year

Parliamentary motions are used by MSPs as a way to initiate debate or suggest a particular course of action but increasingly have become more and more obtuse vehicles to offer support, congratulate or even endorse a particular product or service. They go from congratulating a local football team to questioning a reduction in the size of a chocolate bar to welcoming community spirit among a seal population in Orkney. This award also goes a bit further and will recognise the most absurd motions, questions, or even points of order to be raised.

The Powering Change Award

This award will recognise the real powerhouses of the parliament, its committees. The committees provide a crucial role in bringing expertise to bear on the legislative process and test theories, assumptions, and practice. Which committee or convenor has helped inspire change through the rigorous gathering of evidence and questioning of witnesses? 

Speech of the Year

A good speech can silence the chamber, bring a tear to a glass eye and surprise in its ability to capture a moment in time. This award will go to the MSP who has managed to impress with their ability to articulate their views on an issue with passion, intellect, and emotion. 

Best Scot at Westminster
in association with Chivas 

Which parliamentarian has best made the case for Scottish interests at Westminster? Is there an MP that stands out for presenting Scotland in the best light, for pushing a Scottish cause and really standing up for their constituents and the nation? 

Open All Hours Award

Which MSP gets your vote for going the extra mile to help their constituents, colleagues and staff, whose door is always open and for whom the words ‘business closed’ never feature? This is a parliamentarian who can be relied upon to get a job done and whose tenacity to get a problem fixed knows no bounds. 

The Business of Politics Award
in association with Salmon Scotland

This award recognises the parliamentarian who understands the importance of Scotland’s business community, an MSP who bangs the drum for our small business owners, who champions the cause of industry and who puts the business into politics and makes it work for the country.

Green Giant Award

With the First Minister declaring a Climate emergency and Glasgow having hosted COP26, the fight against climate raced up the political agenda during the last parliamentary session in Scotland and is now at the fore. Which MSP has really embraced the challenge and made a difference to the environment? 

Lifetime Achievement Award
in association with Royal Bank of Scotland

Awarded to someone who had dedicated their life to Scottish politics and has managed to cut across party-political boundaries to demonstrate a commitment to public service, statecraft, and the democratic process. Someone woven into Scotland’s political fabric. Not open to nominations.

One to Watch
Russell Findlay MSP

Speaker of the Year
Jackson Carlaw MSP

Tweet of the Day
Murdo Fraser MSP

The Powering Change Award
Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Green Giant Award
Sarah Boyack MSP

Flushable Motion of the Year
Kevin Stewart MSP

 Political Hero of the Year
Liz Smith MSP

Political Staffer of the Year
Adele Black (staffer for Rhoda Grant MSP)

Best Scot at Westminster
Wendy Chamberlain MP

MSP of the Year
Anas Sarwar MSP

Backbencher of the Year
Michelle Thomson MSP

Open All Hours Award
Ivan McKee MSP

The Business of Politics Award
Daniel Johnson MSP, Anas Sarwar MSP, and Michael Marra MSP

Lifetime Achievement Award
Lord Wallace of Tankerness