Islam in Transition: Religion and Identity Among British Pakistani Youth

"And the Nominees Are…."

Education & Research

Dr Afia Ali - is a dynamic young Asian Muslim woman at the cutting edge of science. Currently at Oxford with the leading Neuroscience team, her work today will help find the cures for tomorrow. She is a gifted experimentalist and also lectures and supervises the most talented neuroscience students in the country.

Parminder Degun - is a vocational skills teacher at Leyton Sixth Form College. Many of her students have learning difficulties or have been excluded from school and the course she single handedly set up has an amazing 95% retention and 100% pass rate. Parminder's work earned her an award for excellence at this year's Teaching Awards.

Cristalina Fernandes -is Director of House at Capital City Academy (formally Willesden High School) and extremely loved and respected by her students. She has made a significant difference at the school, being fundamental in improving attainment for all the students, many of whom are refugees, have English as a second language, or have other serious social concerns.

Fashion & Design

Kurtis Cameron - can't remember a time when he didn't make his own clothes. He set up his own 'urban chic' designer fashion label, Cameron, with help from The Princes Trust in 1999. His innovative, fresh yet functional menswear is available in stores all over the UK and Tokyo, including Harvey Nichols and Urban Outfitters.

Craig Cordice - has been a partner/director in the graphic design industry for the past 15 years. For the past two years, he has been the inspiration behind One Spare Chair, a design studio operating in all areas of the creative design field. Craig is also involved with mentoring and sports based community projects.

Nicola Newman - is founder and creative director of Fuschia, a fashion and textile design company specialising in Asian stationary that supports Cancer Research UK. By carrying the Breast Cancer Awareness logo on the cards and donating 5p of every sale to the charity, Nicola is promoting awareness to ethnic minority groups and raising funds for the cause.

FILM sponsored by LNN

Chiwetel Ejiofor - one of the hottest actors of his generation, has received rave reviews for his performances since his TV debut in 1996. Steven Speilberg cast him in the historical drama Amistad and he attracted the attention of other filmmakers whilst balancing his work with theatre projects. Recently Chiwetel starred in Stephen Frears' film Dirty Pretty Things and can soon be seen in Love Actually and Slow Burn.

Naomi Harris - studied political science at Cambridge before deciding she wanted to act, and her career took off when she was cast as Clara in the TV adaptation of Zadie Smith's White Teeth. Following this she played the female lead in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later and is currently working on the thriller Trauma with Colin Firth.

Parminder Nagra - this talented young actress lit up the screen in the critically acclaimed Bend it Like Beckham and is fast becoming one of Britain's best-loved Asian stars. Recently she played the lead in Channel 4's two-part film Second Generation, joined the cast of US show ER, and can soon be seen in Miramax's big budget feature Ella Enchanted.

Music sponsored by Choice FM

Peppercorn - is a singer/songwriter with huge talent and a "fierce independence" about her songs. Her music is filled with cross-cultural influences and personal experiences. With her own brand of soul-rock, she inspires others to stand up for their beliefs. It's only a matter of time before she hits the big time!

Rishi Rich - cut his first record deal at the tender age of 13. Since then, he has established himself as a talented producer, working with the likes of Craig David and Mis-Teeq. His recent collaboration with vocalist Juggy D and rapper Jay Sean, as the Rishi Rich Project, created a real industry "buzz"!

Ty - has previously supported artists such as De La Soul and Run DMC, and is a successful and dedicated Hip-Hop artist. He also manages to find time to run workshop Apples & Snakes, helping youngsters to gain confidence through music. An all round musical maestro, Ty has also produced some of his own work.

Performing Arts

Karena Johnson - is Britain's only black female theatrical programmer, responsible for arranging a succession of inspired productions at the Oval House Theatre. Karena has worked as a theatre director since 1997 and says theatre is "a moment of magic that can happen in a live space".

Ria Lina - is a fairly new face on the stand up comedy circuit, but is certainly making her mark in this tough industry, winning an EMMA award for Best Comedienne earlier this year. She recently brought her comedic talent to a Channel 4 documentary uncovering the myths surrounding oriental women.

Dawn Reid - started her career at Theatre Royal Stratford East, where she is now resident director. Dawn's most successful project to date is the hugely successful Funny Black Women on the Edge with Angie Le Mar. She is also involved with the Spare Tyre Theatre Company, a community based theatre offering training and educational opportunities.

Politics & Public Life

Parmjit Dhanda MP - is secretary for the All-Party group on telecommunications and his main interests are science, technology, employment rights, local government and Europe. He has also served on a National Executive working group on equal opportunities and has warned against targeting Muslims in the wake of terrorist attacks in America.

Catherine Tuitt - has been a prominent figure in the total community for 14 years. Her experience ranges from legal consultancy to chairing council committees. She trained as a barrister in London and is involved with various organisations

Cassandra Williams - is a strident and committed campaigner against gun crime, particularly in her local community of Lambeth. She regularly visits schools to talk about gun crime and has worked tirelessly in Brixton to ensure that communities felt safe enough to say they will no longer allow the destruction of both the young and the community.

Publishing

Raj Kaushal - is the founder, editor and public face of the number one selling British Asian lifestyle magazine SNOOP. He is also editor-in-chief of Desi magazine, an entertainment title. More recently, his company have launched another two Asian magazines covering women's lifestyle and financial advice.

Jordan Kensington - is Britain's youngest black publisher. He is responsible for launching his online magazine Invincible in 2001, and its print version just a year later. Today, Invincible is one of the premier Urban Music and Lifestyle magazines with a circulation of 65,000 copies Nationwide.

Zadie Smith - has written two best-selling novels: White Teeth, and The Autograph Man. Both books tackle multicultural issues, and she has a large and appreciative audience. She was short listed for the Orange Prize 2003 and chosen by Granta as one of the Best of Young British Novelists 2003.

Sport sponsored by The Voice

Tony Cesay - became an International boxer for England, having trained at the renowned Repton Boxing club in Bethnal Green. In 2002 he became a 'social entrepreneur', when he founded the Kid Gloves organisation, putting his skill and enthusiasm into teaching kids in his local community how self discipline in sport can help them maintain a healthy existence.

Julian Golding - won the 200m at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in record time. Destined for success, he unfortunately contracted a virus, leaving him with months of ill health. Coach, family and friends helped Julian's strength return, along with his determination. He was part of the British team at the World Championships in Paris.

Kanu Nwankwo - was playing football in a Nigerian first division team at 15 years old. Just two years later, he had won the European cup. Sadly, in 1996 he was diagnosed with a heart defect but thanks to major surgery and his own ambition he is with Premiership side, Arsenal and is the founder of Kanu Nwankwo Heart Foundation.

Television & Radio sponsored by Spectrum Radio

Caroline Chikezie - has worked on a variety of TV productions, but is probably best known as the vibrant Sasha in Channel 4's As If. Caroline won Screen Nation's Emerging Talent Award earlier this year, and can soon be seen in ITV1's hugely successful Footballers' Wives as Elaine Hardy, the team's physiotherapist.

David Oyelowo - triumphed over bullying at school to become an award winning actor, who has recently been seen as Danny Hunter in the BAFTA award winning BBC drama Spooks. David also broke new ground as the first black actor ever to be cast as an English monarch by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Zubeida Malik - is a multi-award winning journalist for the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. She brings listeners brave investigative news and was one of the first reporters to get into Pakistan after September 11th arriving just 24 hours later. She was also the first British journalist to interview the Taliban during the war on terrorism.