Lawrence Shankland, Claudio Braga, Derek McInnes and Georgia Timms have all been nominated at this year’s Scottish Football Writers’ Awards, giving Hearts recognition across the men’s and women’s game at the sharp end of the season. The awards ceremony is due on Sunday, 17th May.
Shankland is up for the Player of the Year Award after scoring 19 goals, while Braga has also been shortlisted for the same prize after a 14-goal season. McInnes is in the running for the William Hill Manager of the Year award after a campaign that had already brought him the Glen’s Manager of the Season title and the PFA Scotland Manager of the Year award. Timms has been nominated for SWPL Player of the Year after scoring in Hearts’ 2-1 victory over Celtic on Sunday, a result that secured European football for the women’s team for the first time in the club’s history.
For Hearts, the nominations reflect a season that has unfolded on two fronts at once. The men’s side were top of the Premiership with two matches to go and had a record points total and a Champions League qualifier to look forward to next season, while Shankland and Braga had formed a striking partnership that helped drive the club’s challenge. In the women’s game, Hearts also sat top of the table, and Timms’ nomination adds further weight to a day that already stood out after the win over Celtic.
The one figure who ties the awards picture together most clearly is McInnes. He has already been judged the best manager by two other major panels, so the question now is whether the Scottish Football Writers will follow suit and complete the sweep. Shankland, who won the Player of the Year Award in 2024, is again in the frame, but this time he shares the spotlight with Braga and with a women’s team making history rather than simply chasing it.
That is what gives these Hearts fixtures their extra edge right now: the club is not waiting for the season to be explained by one result or one award. It is being recognised for a full stretch of work across both teams, with trophies, milestones and European qualification all still sitting in the same frame.
