Recognising Junior Volunteers: Volunteer Awards and Young Orienteer of the Year

Published: November 4, 2026

At the Interarea weekend the first winners of the Junior Volunteer Awards were announced. Listening to feedback from last years inter areas, Development Director Mary Williams created the Junior Volunteer Awards to recognise and encourage juniors who are taking their first steps into volunteering. These awards are not about being the best at a role — they are about having a go and learning!

The prestigious Young Orienteer of the Year award was also awarded at the Inter Areas. This award is awarded to one Junior each year who has contributed greatly to orienteering. This can be anything from making events happen, helping run club sessions and getting friends and family involved. This award is sponsored by Tulloch Homes and has been handed out each year since 2018.

Junior Volunteer Awards

For the Junior Volunteer Awards, Juniors could be nominated for five categories, each recognising a different area of contribution. Awards will be given to juniors in each category:

Planner
Organiser
Coach
IT / Results / Timing
Mapping

There has been new trophies made for this award, with the names of the winners engraved onto the trophy. All the juniors who were nominated received a prize. The Winners also received a backpack. International orienteer Sasha Cheplin INT handed out all the awards to the Juniors at the relays.

Junior Volunteer Awards WINNERS 2026

Planning- Jolyon Picton INVOC
Organising- Alexander Kinloch MAROC
Coaching- Samantha McDonald GRAMP
IT/ Results/ Timing- Tate Woodhouse ESOC
Mapping- Ruari Cottier ECKO

Planning Nominees including Winner Jolyon second left

Coaching Nominees and winner Samantha in the middle

Jolyon received the planning award for planning a schools / club event at Cawdor, with White, Yellow, Orange, Light Green and Green courses. This was his first time planning, and he produced a successful event. Jolyon did the bulk of the planning himself and asked his mentor sensible questions when he wanted guidance. Jolyon has also been supporting INVOC with IT at events. Thanks to David Summers for nominating Joylon and for mentoring his planning.

Samantha has been busy helping GRAMP with coaching and recently volunteered as an assistant coach at the Summer of Sport family sessions at Hazlehead Park.

Alexander Kinloch started an after-school orienteering club at Aboyne Academy.

Tate Woodhouse, regularly helps with IT. He set up and ran the ESOC Mary Erskine local event and a Sprintelope on his own. Tate is a regular fixture supporting with IT at ESOC events.

Ruari Cottier mapped Dunstaffnage for use by Talent Squads for a sprint race. EckO have subsequently used the map for events.

A special mention was also given to Luke Durnall and Ingrid Edenbrandt for their help at ESOC O-Zone tent at local events. Kirsten Tinsley was nominated for the Organising award for leading on the O-Zone. O-Zone provides activities for younger Juniors at ESOC local events.

Junior Volunteer of the Year

This year the award for Junior Volunteer of the year went to Calum Robertson ESOC. Calum is always keen to help and does anything asked of him. This year he planned ESOC local event at Bush Estate, done the SI timing at Leith Festival, Coached Longniddry Cubs, completed his coaching foundation award and has attended the Club Coach course. He is a great role model for other juniors.

Thankyou Calum for all your contributions to orienteering over the past year. Thanks to Helena Nolan for nominating him.

Calum leading the ESOC juniors at the Jamie Stevenson

Thankyou

Thank you to all the Juniors who have volunteered this year and for everyone who nominated juniors. We will be asking for nominations again next year.

Thanks to all the Juniors who attended the Interarea discussion last year who told us ‘we want more prizes’! We hope we have delivered on this.