Young Scotswoman of the Year 2021 - here is how to vote for your favourite

You have until March 24 to tell us who you think should win the prestigious award.

To register your vote, visit www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/young-swoty/ and simply click on the box beside the name of the young woman you would like to win. Voting is free, and the winner will be announced on March 31.

The four contenders for the title are Meghan Porterfield, 16, who is from East Kilbride; 21-year-old Abby Lang, from Longforgan in Perthshire; Tess Corcoran, 18, from Glenfarg in Perthshire; and Mariya Javed, 12, from Elderslie.

Meghan is one of Scotland’s brightest up-and-coming stars in field athletics.

She has won multiple medals and set many Scottish records and is a popular role model, particularly in throwing events, where young women are under-represented.

“I just love sport, and I love helping other people enjoy it too,” she says.

Medical student Abby is a leading voice in the campaign for a national heart screening service. She has worked tirelessly, despite the challenges of Covid, for national charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) and local memorial fund #4Pete, set up by the family of a 22-year-old footballer who died of an undiagnosed heart condition.

Abby believes “age is no barrier and no issue is too big for young people to tackle.”

Tess Corcoran is one of the driving forces behind a campaign to teach young people about the climate crisis.

She is a founding member and campaign co-ordinator of Teach the Future in Scotland, which aims to have climate education embedded in the curriculum. Tess has even postponed her university plans to concentrate on the campaign.

“My advice to any young person is - if you care about something, do something about it,” she says.

Mariya Javed has been dedicated to fundraising and helping other people since her big brother Ahmar died five years ago aged 13.

“Doing this helps other people, and that helps me too,” she says.

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Determined to keep his memory alive, Mariya has worked tirelessly to raise money for the tribute fund Another Star in the Sky, set up by her parents in association with Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.

She has helped raise more than £16,500 for research into rare conditions and to fund bereavement support services.

Mariya is also a young ambassador for the Miracle Foundation, a Motherwell-based charity which supports young people who have suffered bereavement and trauma.