Student esports entrepreneur finalists announced following WorldSkills UK qualifier

Dominic Sacco

4 min read | 10 Jul 2026

WorldSkills UK has announced the six competitors who have reached the finals of a new student esports competition, developed in partnership with British Esports.

The demonstration esports competition tests competitors’ ability to ‘generate viable enterprise ideas, conduct meaningful market research, and produce a realistic business plan for a start-up’.

A qualifier took place alongside the 2026 British Esports Student Champs grand finals at the University of Staffordshire recently.

The finalists are as follows:

• Jacob Bisland (Wilberforce Sixth Form College)
• Samuel Walker (Dearne Valley College)
• James Doncaster (Sunderland College)
• Alice Ansell (South Staffordshire College)
• Mason Klemp (Oldham College)
• Danny Howells (Bolton College)

The finalists will now go on to showcase their talent at the WorldSkills UK National Finals, which will take place at venues across South Wales from November 18th to 20th 2026. Overall, there are 400 apprentices and students that have qualified for the finals across a range of categories.

Students gave pitches to esports industry stakeholders

The judges for the esports competition qualifier included EPIC.LAN MD Jon Winkle, NWSCL Esports Production and Broadcast Lecturer Shoubna Naika-Taylor, and British Esports VP of Education, Skill and Innovation, Kalam Neale.

The WorldSkills UK and British Esports ‘Esports Enterprise & Entrepreneurship Challenge’ was first announced back in April.

It’s based on the Pearson and British Esports Level 3 BTEC National qualification in Esports, with the challenge testing competitors’ ability to explore the esports industry, generate viable enterprise ideas, conduct meaningful market research, and produce a realistic business plan for a start-up within the esports ecosystem. 

There are ambitions for the esports competition to become a permanent part of the WorldSkills UK portfolio from next year.

You can see the full list of WorldSkills UK 2026 National Finalists here.