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This award is presented each year to recognise and celebrate recent graduates who are already making their mark in their field. Our Rising Stars have shown exceptional talent, success and drive within ten years of graduating – with the potential to create even greater impact in their professional sector communities. We are delighted to announce Madalena Nicolau as our 2026 Alumni Rising Star Award winner who, in a relatively short amount of time since graduating, has excelled in her field and forged paths of leadership for others to follow.

Originally from Portugal and raised in Manchester, Madalena is a Development Researcher specialising in unscripted television, with a specialised focus on innovative factual entertainment and high-stakes reality formats. She have spent the 18 months at Studio Lambert, working with the team behind shows including The Traitors, Gogglebox, and Race Across the World. 

She graduated from her undergraduate studies in Sociology and Criminology from The University of Manchester, followed by an MA in Documentary Production from ��������, which provided the foundation that helped launch her career in television. She gained early experience volunteering at Sheffield DocFest and working with Purple Productions and Salamanda Media. After graduating, she joined The Network and interned at ITV’s MultiStory Media before being selected for Studio Lambert’s highly competitive SPARK Development Traineeship and relocating to London.  

Madalena says “Being named an Alumni Rising Star means a lot to me. It’s a reminder of how vital the �������� was, and continues to be, in shaping my career, and motivates me to continue striving for excellence in everything I do.” 

Watch a video interview with Madalena below: