Holyrood Garden Party & Political Awards 2025

Announcing the 2025 Shortlist: 

One to Watch

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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?

Shortlist:

• Stephen Flynn MP
• Gillian Mackay MSP
• Paul O'Kane MSP

Political Staffer of the Year

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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.

Shortlist:

• Stacey Adam (Staffer for George Adam MSP)
• Lynn Benevento (Staffer for Ruth Maguire MSP)
• Allison Graham (Staffer for Ash Regan MSP)

X-rated MSP of the Year (formerly 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. 

Shortlist:

• Wendy Chamberlain MP
• Foysol Choudhury MSP
• Emma Roddick MSP

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. 

Shortlist:

• Liam McArthur MSP
• Colin Smyth MSP
• Elena Whitham MSP 

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? 

Shortlist:

• Fergus Ewing MSP
• Graham Simpson MSP
• Tess White MSP

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.

Shortlist:

• Stephanie Callaghan MSP
• Douglas Lumsden MSP
• Marie McNair MSP

Best Scot at Westminster

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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? 

Shortlist:

• Alistair Carmichael MP
• Ian Murray MP
• Michael Shanks MP

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. 

Shortlist:

• Jackie Baillie MSP
• Pam Gosal MSP
• Stuart McMillan MSP

Powering Change Award

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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? 

Shortlist:

• The Education, Children and Young People Committee (Convener: Douglas Ross MSP)
• The Finance and Public Administration Committee (Convener: Kenneth Gibson MSP)
• The Public Audit Committee (Convener: Richard Leonard MSP)

Political Hero of the Year

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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. 

Shortlist:

• Jackie Baillie MSP
• Claire Baker MSP, Michelle Thomson MSP and Tess White MSP
• Ash Regan MSP

Business of Politics Award

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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.

Shortlist:

• Rachael Hamilton MSP
• Daniel Johnson MSP
• Ivan McKee MSP

The Green Giant Award

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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? 

Shortlist:

• Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP
• Ross Greer MSP, Jackie Bailie MSP and Pam Gosal MSP
• Monica Lennon MSP

MSP of the Year

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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?’ 

Shortlist:

• Liam McArthur MSP
• Ash Regan MSP
• Graham Simpson MSP

Lifetime Achievement Award

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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.