COURAGE, innovation, inspiration and a sense of adventure – the women on the Evening Times Scotswoman of the Year shortlist embody all of the above and more.

Today and tomorrow, we reveal a bit more about the contenders for the prestigious title – and the four finalists for our first ever Young SWOTY too.

JENNY GRAHAM

JENNY Graham thinks her former PE teachers might be surprised to hear of her latest achievement.

“To be honest I wasn’t a very sporty child at all – it would be quite funny to speak to my PE teachers now to see what they thought of what I’d just done,” she laughs.

In 2018, the 38-year-old smashed the women’s round-the-world cycle record by 20 days.

Jenny, who came late to cycling, rode 18,000 miles across 16 countries in 124 days, unsupported, carrying all her kit.

She faced the sub-zero temperatures of an Australian winter, bear risk in Canada and close-passing lorries on Trans-Siberian Highway.

Jenny lives in Inverness with her son Lachlan.

“I didn’t buy into sport at school, but I did buy into adventure and I think that’s why I fell in love with cycling,” she explains.

“I loved being out in the hills, and travelling through remote places with that feeling of really having to look after yourself – being out there with no support and going back to the basics, that simplicity of life. That’s what hooked me in.

“When I started cycling I just realised the places it could take you, and I started doing longer and longer distances.

“When I did my first 100-mile day I just thought – WOW, a hundred miles in a day? How much further can I go? And that’s when I decided to take on the round the world challenge.”

Jenny is a co-director of the Adventure Syndicate, a collective of female endurance cyclists who aim to inspire others, especially women and girls, to get involved in the sport.

“I realise not everyone wants to cycle round the world as fast as they can, but I think we all have our own round-the-world challenge in our heads,” she says.

“We want to help people achieve things they perhaps don’t know they are capable of.”

Film-maker Tom Hogben has been documenting Jenny’s journey for two years.

“To say it’s been inspirational is an understatement,” he says. “It’s been fascinating to see Jenny grow as a person and also to see the impact she has had on many people along the way.

“Jenny is amazing and she will be having an impact on people’s lives for many years to come.”

Jenny adds: “I’m absolutely delighted to be nominated for SWOTY – what an honour. Throughout my trip I was blown away by the support of the Scottish people.”

LUCY LINTOTT

WHEN she was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease at the age of 19, Lucy Lintott became the youngest person in Scotland with the incurable, untreatable condition.

Since then Lucy has opened up her life to help others living with MND – and she has raised more than £183,000 for charity.

“My world came crashing down when I was told I had MND,” she recalls.

With the help of her parents, Lydia and Robert, brother Ross and sister Laura and her friends and family, she has completed a whole raft of challenges including a sponsored five-day walk covering 65 miles; and organised music nights, fun days and auctions. She regularly gives speeches on MND and recently addressed 1000 people at a youth and philanthropy initiative event.

Through her blog, in which she ticks off her ‘bucket list’ and a documentary for the BBC called MND and 22-year-old Me, Lucy helps people understand the daily challenges of the condition, raising awareness, tackling misconceptions and inspiring people to donate to the fight to find a cure.

She adds: “Up until late last year, after avoiding the fact I had MND for four years, I finally accepted it. Looking back now, it’s what I needed, keeping myself busy with fundraisers and sharing my story has allowed me to mature enough to accept my new path.”

“It has allowed me to do some incredible things like fly a helicopter and a plane, travel the world and get up close and personal with animals. At the age of 24 I’ve achieved more in my lifetime than some people will ever dream of.”

She adds: “I was shocked to be nominated for SWOTY – I feel very honoured.”

Iain McWhirter, of MND Scotland, says: “Despite receiving such a devastating diagnosis so young, Lucy has selflessly devoted the time she has left to raising awareness of MND and raising funds.

“The way she has responded is remarkable. She has faced up to the disease with a cheerful defiance, she is always smiling. She refuses to be defined by MND – she’s just Lucy.”

YOUNG SWOTY FINALISTS SANNA AZIZ AND CHELSEA CAMERON

Since facing up to bullies at school, Sanna Aziz has become a passionate campaigner for equal rights.

“Ever since I was little, I have faced prejudices. I have been bullied at school because of my size, my race, and even for being a tomboy, and this has had a detrimental effect on my mental health,” she says.

“But instead of letting it beat me, I decided to do something about it to make sure that other young people now, and in the future, do not have to suffer as I have done. I believe everyone should be treated the same, whatever their differences.

Sanna is a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament and head of its human rights committee. She visited America last year as part of the inagural Jo Cox Memorial Exchange Programme and is a dedicated volunteer to youth causes.

“Going on the Jo Cox programme was life-changing for me,” she says. “I learned a lot about social cohesion, lessons I can bring back to my daily life and work.

“I’m truly humbled to be nominated for Young SWOTY – I don’t do what I do for recognition, I do it to help other people so it’s overwhelming to be put forward.”

Chelsea Cameron wrote an open letter to her drug addicted parents thanking them for teaching her how not to live her life.

The piece went viral and she now runs a blog, inspiring and supporting young people across the world struggling to deal with their parents’ addictions.

She is now a mentor to two young people and continues to work hard to break down the stigma surrounding drug addiction.

“It is a privilege to be nominated for Young SWOTY,” she says. “I was brought up thinking I wouldn’t achieve much.

“People would always say things like - that’s not for the likes of us, people like us don’t do that, or win awards, or achieve those things.”

She adds: “I wanted to prove otherwise and show other young people they can achieve anything they put their minds to.”