What’s happened

Members of the Royal College of Podiatry, finalists and invited guests gathered at the Royal Institution in London on Friday evening as winners of the College’s Annual Awards 2026 were revealed. 

Rebuilt from the ground up, the new-look awards programme received 151 nominations and recognised achievement across clinical practice, research, education, leadership, volunteering, workforce development and supporting patients and communities.  

Hosted by Master of Ceremonies, Simon Snashall, the ceremony brought together members, supporters, sponsors and guests from across the profession to celebrate excellence in podiatry.  

Among those attending were award finalists and their guests, members of Council, the Awards judging panel, members of the College’s newly established Advisory Group and representatives of the sponsors supporting this year’s event.   

Members of the family of the College’s late President, Lord Alf Morris of Manchester, were also present for the presentation of the award named in his honour, recognising individuals and teams who have made a difference to disadvantaged people or communities.

A celebration of excellence 

The Awards are the College’s flagship celebration of excellence across the profession. 

They recognise the individuals, teams and communities whose work is improving patient care, advancing knowledge, supporting colleagues and strengthening the future of podiatry.   

The 2026 awards introduced a new theatre-style format and several new categories designed to better reflect the diversity of modern podiatry practice and recognise contributions at every stage of a professional career. 

For the first time, members also selected the recipient of the Members’ Choice through an online vote. 

Finalists and winners 

Weightmans Rising Star Award 

Winner 

Claire Atkinson, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust.  

Received on her behalf by Cath Allen. 

Finalist 

• Samantha Smith 

Volunteer of the Year Award 

Winner 

Dr Jill Ferrari, Age UK 

Finalists 

• Khansah Imtiaz 

• Lauren Thompson 

Podiatry Careers Champion 

Winner 

Ganesh Baliah, Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust   

Finalists 

• James William David Alvey 

• Simon Croucher and Florentin Baciu 

• Phil Hendy 

• Bindee Mosaheb 

James Hallam Clinical/Academic Educator of the Year 

Winner 

Dr Ruth Barn, Glasgow Caledonian University  

Finalists 

• Jennifer Dickson, University of Salford 

• Dr Alexander Izod, University of East London   

• Angela Thomas, Livewell Southwest CIC  

• Michelle Tracey, Ulster University 

Research and Innovation Award

Winner 

Dr Michael Backhouse for BigToe Inserts  

Finalists: 

• Sarah Bradshaw – CUBED App 

• Hywel Dda Podiatry and Arrhythmia Service Atrial Fibrillation Detection Project Team   

• Kalpita Majumdar and Nadine Price 

• Jayne Robbie for ACT NOW 

Alf Morris Community Award

Winner 

Emma Price, Open Door Centre in Cheltenham and the Gloucester City Mission   

Finalists 

• Jane Lewis, The India Project  

• Shauna Nash, Foyle Foot and Ankle Clinic, Derry   

• Deborah Wilson, Malawi Project (in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University and Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons (Glasgow)   

The Hive Podiatry Team of the Year Award 

Winner 

The Allied Health and Nursing Collaborative Leg Engagement (ANCLE) Café   

Finalists 

• NHS Fife Podiatry Tissue Viability Team 

• South Ayrshire Podiatry Team 

• Homerton Healthcare Community Podiatry Team 

• North Cumbria Podiatry Service 

• Tower Hamlets Podiatry Team 

Student of the Year 

Winner 

Arham Khalid, University of Brighton   

Finalists 

• Lucy Booth 

• Xu Cao 

• Heather MacDougall 

• Jose Sebastiao 

• Sophie Widdows 

Members' Choice Award

Winner 

Christopher Ansermoz, Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust 

Finalists 

• Khansah Imtiaz 

• Hetal Patel 

• Lauren Thompson 

• Mark Waugh 

Diamond Lifetime Achievement Award

Winner 

Debbie Sharman, Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust

Finalists 

• Angela Abbott 

• Dr Ivan Bristow 

• Dr M Tariq Khan 

Sponsorship 

The College would like to thank the organisations that supported this year’s Awards programme: 

• James Hallam, sponsor of the Clinical/Academic Educator of the Year Award 

• The Hive, sponsor of the Podiatry Team of the Year Award 

• Weightmans, sponsor of the Rising Star Award 

Why this matters to members 

The 2026 Awards programme was redesigned to better reflect the breadth and diversity of modern podiatry practice.  

New categories were introduced to recognise students, rising stars, volunteers, careers champions and teams, helping ensure excellence is recognised at every stage of a professional career.  

The introduction of the Members’ Choice Award also gave members a direct role in selecting one of this year’s winners for the first time. 

Together, the changes support the College’s wider ambition to raise the profile of podiatry, celebrate achievement across the profession and inspire the next generation of podiatrists. 

The Royal Institution provided a fitting backdrop to the Royal College of Podiatry's Annual Awards 2026.

What happens next 

Following the success of the relaunched programme, the Royal College of Podiatry intends to build on the format in future years. 

Look out for more coverage of the Royal College of Podiatry Awards 2026 on The New Podiatrist in the coming days. 

The next Annual Awards ceremony will take place on 18 June 2027. 

Links and references 

The Royal College of Podiatry Awards 2026 

Want to learn more about the people recognised this year? Read The New Podiatrist’s earlier coverage introducing the Royal College of Podiatry Awards 2026 shortlist.

Correction

Correction 15.06.2026: We have updated this article to correct an earlier error. It previously stated: Debbie Sharman, University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust; this has been corrected to: Debbie Sharman, Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust.