Competition entries officially opened on 1 December 2025 for Bodyshop Magazine’s two high-profile celebration initiatives – the Bodyshop Awards 2026 and our 30 Under 30 competition – both of which will recognise and applaud the UK accident repair industry’s highest achievers in the coming year.
The Awards, which will celebrate their 29th birthday in 2026, remain the industry’s most coveted honours as they are properly assessed and independently judged, while next year marks the 9th anniversary of the 30 Under 30 initiative which is unique in the UK body repair sector.
Raising standards
Bodyshop editor Simon Wait said: “We always endeavour to improve the standards of our competitions and keep pace with advances within our industry, so we are mixing things up a bit next year with some new additions to the Awards categories, and we will be introducing a more thorough testing programme to ensure we identify the best of the best across the sector.
“It is well known within our industry that you cannot buy a Bodyshop Magazine Award, you’ve got to earn it, and the only way to stand a chance is to enter yourself or be nominated by someone else. So I strongly recommend everyone in our industry has a think about who in their company or among their clients, suppliers and peers has what it takes to win, either individually or as a business. Then head over to our website to submit a nomination. It’s really easy to enter and the entire process is completely free.”
Entries for both the 30 Under 30 and Bodyshop Awards will remain open until 31 March 2026. Entries can be submitted using the relevant forms on our website.
To qualify for 30 Under 30, candidates must be 30 years of age or under on 15 October 2026 and they must work within the UK collision repair industry on the repair side or in the supply chain. They can hold any job title, with previous winners coming from among bodyshop apprentices and technicians, recruiters and front-of-house staff, VDAs, managers and business owners, paints suppliers, marketers and distributors, insurers and vehicle manufacturers, and more.
The final line-up of 30 winners, as chosen by an independent panel of industry experts and Bodyshop Magazine, will be celebrated live on stage during the Bodyshop Awards 2026 next October.
More Awards categories
The line-up of major Bodyshop Awards categories established in 1997 will continue next year with Technical Training Provider, Supplier, Small, Medium, Large and Bodyshop Group, plus the return of Vehicle Manufacturer and Work Provider.
There will be three completely new categories reflecting the technological advances in the sector. These are ADAS Services Provider of the Year, which is open to diagnostics and calibration companies, Bodyshop Software which is open to bodyshop management systems and estimating software providers, and Apprentice Vehicle Damage Assessor of the Year.
The Technician and Apprentice categories for skilled MET, panel and paint technicians, as well as senior VDAs, are all about promoting technical excellence and inspiring the next generation of repair professionals. These will be assessed using a series of online exams, interviews and practical testing at the Thatcham Research Automotive Academy in June 2026.
With the race to find our 2025 Awards finalists now under way, please look out for future issues of Bodyshop Magazine, visit www.bodyshopmag.com to submit your nominations, and come back regularly to stay up to date as the buzz builds for Bodyshop Awards 2026.
