The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has begun the hunt for this year’s BVA Young Vet of the Year Award to find an early career vet who has already made a difference and positive contribution to the veterinary profession.

The award, which is supported by Zoetis, recognises and celebrates vets in the early stages of their career for many reasons: they may have provided outstanding and consistent care for their patients, shown great support for their clients and colleagues or perhaps given back to their community or gone above and beyond the normal call of duty.

The award also looks for vets who have championed causes in the sector, where their commitment has shown a significant impact and where they have inspired others in the veterinary community.

BVA president Justine Shotton said: “The last few years have been challenging. Not only have vets had to cope with workforce issues related to Brexit and Covid, but there has been a huge increase in demand for services following the unprecedented boom in pet ownership in the last few years.

“But veterinary professionals across the UK, including young vets, have stepped up and met these challenges head on and we applaud them all.

“We know there are going to be so many inspiring entries this year, highlighting the hard work of those who have shown exceptional dedication through a very difficult time and we are already anticipating finding it difficult to choose an overall winner.”

Sarah Heming, director of public affairs and communications at Zoetis added: “At Zoetis we aim to create a habit of recognition and we know how important it is to recognize a variety of achievements and successes both at a team and individual level.

"We do this to help motivate, reward and recognize these valuable contributions made by so many young professionals and we feel proud to be able to do this. “