The Yorkshire Accountancy Awards 2026 has unveiled its official shortlist of finalists, celebrating the region’s most outstanding accountants, firms and finance professionals. With a broad range of categories recognising excellence across individual, team and firm-wide performance, this year’s shortlist reflects both growth and innovation across the Yorkshire accountancy landscape.
The awards, judged by an independent panel of respected local and national experts, showcase not only traditional strengths in audit and tax but also emerging trends in employer branding, talent development and niche specialisms.
Top firms and service excellence stand out
Several firms have secured multiple nominations, underlining their strong performance and market impact, including:
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BDO features across five categories including Audit Service Award, Tax Service Award, Team of the Year, Best ESG Campaign and Large Firm of the Year, demonstrating strength across core accountancy disciplines.
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Clive Owen LLP have been shortlisted in four categories to include Best Employer, Mid-Tier Firm of the Year, Partner of the Year and Team of the Year, highlighting its investment in talent and leadership.
- Azets have also been shortlisted in four categories, including Audit Service Award, Consultancy/Advisory Service Award, Corporate Finance Service and Team of the Year, reflecting its broad service offering and team excellence.
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Parsons Chartered Accountants is recognised in four high-profile categories such as Managing Partner of the Year, Partner of the Year, Rising Star and Team of the Year, signalling a strong year of performance and internal development.
Talent and leadership trends shaping the profession
The shortlist shows a continued focus on nurturing future talent, with richly competitive fields in trainee and rising star categories:
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Rising stars such as Callum McEvilly (Twentysix Ltd), Elliot Jewitt (TC Murray Harcourt Ltd), Rhys Norman (Forvis Mazars) and Daniel Andreca (Parsons Chartered Accountants) reflect the energy and ambition of the next generation of accounting professionals.
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The Trainee of the Year category features a diverse set of finalists, including Adam Wyatt (Forvis Mazars LLP), Lewis Walsh (Forvis Mazars LLP), Morgan Bland (Gravitate Accounting), Michael Fern (Kingswood Allotts), Conrad Barr (KPMG), |Callum Irvine (Lloyd Dowson), Millie Cooper (Flourish Accounting LTD) and Ammaarah Patel (Parsons Chartered Accountants), showcasing strong early career achievements across firms.
In leadership categories, nominees such as Daniel McAllister (Simpson Wood), Ian Parsons (Parsons Chartered Accountants), Oscar Ip -(Oscar Ip & Co. Chartered Accountants) and James Hunt (AAB) illustrate a deep bench of strategic thinkers and client-focused leaders driving growth and transformation across the region.
Diversity, innovation and client excellence
The shortlist highlights how firms are adapting to evolving market demands:
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Oscar Ip & Co. Chartered Accountants appears across six categories, including Brand of the Year, Consultancy/Advisory Service Award, Managing Partner of the Year and Partner of the Year, to name just a few, demonstrating impactful market positioning and entrepreneurial success.
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Niche and specialist practices such as Charity Assist Accountants, Oscar Ip & Co. Chartered Accountants, Karen Eckstein LTd. and Deeks VAT Consultancy Ltd, illustrate how targeted expertise continues to thrive within Yorkshire’s professional services landscape.
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Firms nominated for Best Employer and Brand of the Year reflect a profession increasingly prioritising staff development, wellbeing, and strategic differentiation.
Ceremony details
Finalists will gather for the black-tie Yorkshire Accountancy Awards ceremony on 26 February 2026 in Leeds, where winners across all categories will be announced. Tickets are now available
For full shortlist information and tickets, visit the Yorkshire Accountancy Awards website here.
