The NAVA Propertymark Novice Auctioneer of the Year was awarded to up-and-coming property auctioneer David Henwood of Clive Emson Auctioneers.

Henward takes the coveted ‘Auctioneer of the Year’ title from last year’s winner Debs Latham, of property auctioneers SDL Auctions.

Along with the highly-regarded title, Henward also receives the Clive Emson Rosebowl, a gavel sponsored by Clive Emson Land and Property Auctioneers, a year’s NAVA Propertymark membership subscription and £250 to charity.

The competition – which was held at the Chateau Impney Hotel in Droitwich Spa – kicked off with a bidding sequence organised to test the entrant’s skill, knowledge and presence on the rostrum where each contestant auctioned off a series of lots.

The lots on offer included an Engel vertical moulding machine, a Merlo rough terrain telescopic handler, a red telephone box, a detached seafront chalet in Essex and a freehold parcel of land situated in Kearsley, with a guide price between £1,500-£65,000.

Three competitors were then selected to take part in a real charity auction in the gala dinner final with £1,100 proceeds from the lots being donated to Centrepoint UK, a charity working to provide practical support tackling youth homelessness.

The judge panel consisted of David Sandeman, a qualified barrister and managing director of Essential Information Group, Richard Auterac, a regular in the UK commercial property auction and private investor markets and Richard Lewis, the chief operating officer for Auction Technology Group.

Runners up for the title were Marino Costi from Philip Arnold Auctions and Christopher Theocharides from SDL Auctions.

Commenting on the contest, Mark Hayward, chief executive of NAVA Propertymarket, says: “The competition is a brilliant opportunity for novice auctioneers to take to the rostrum. Every year, this event has unveiled some fantastic auctioneers in the making, which is great for the profession and provides a stepping-stone for those looking to further develop their careers in the industry. A huge well done to all who took part.”