Meet the Forbes 30 Under 30 class of 2026! Adolescence star Owen Cooper, singer Sienna Spiro and I’m A Celeb’s GK Barry are among talented Brits to watch out for

There’s certainly no shortage of talent among Britain’s Gen Z, judging by Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list this year.

The 2026 poll includes an impressive group of up-and-coming sports stars, entertainment icons and self-made business gurus who are as young as 15 years old and have a combined 291 million followers across their platforms.

Familiar faces in the Sports & Games category include Red Roses star and Rugby World Cup winner Ellie Kildunne, as well as Arsenal top scorer Eberechi Eze.

On the other hand, 20-year-old Sienna Spiro is among the youngest breakout stars in the Entertainment category, along with 16-year-old Owen Cooper, who made history as the youngest male to win an Emmy for his role in Adolescence.

I’m a Celebrity and Loose Women star Grace Keeling (better known as GK Barry) is also leading the charge in the world of Media and Marketing, while Molly-Mae Hague becomes the first Love Island star to feature on this year’s coveted list.

So how did these famous faces get their first big break and what’s in store for them once they’ve established themselves as some of Britain’s most inspiring icons?

Owen Cooper became the youngest man to win the Critics’ Choice Awards on Sunday night

Ellie Kildunne, 26 – England rugby player

Ellie Kildunne is rightly regarded as one of the best players in the world, having won 55 of the 57 matches she played for her country, scoring an impressive 45 tries.

He was a key figure in the Red Roses’ World Cup campaign, which saw them triumphant with a convincing 33-13 final victory over Canada last September.

The championship win cemented the team’s place in the history books as the successful international side in Test history.

Since then, the 26-year-old has gained even more fame.

She broke more records in December by becoming the first female rugby player to be nominated for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award.

The full-back narrowly missed out on top spot and finished second, which is still a huge achievement in raising the profile of female gamers.

‘The visibility and accessibility of women’s rugby is much higher than we currently think. I hope it continues on this trajectory,” he said in a recent interview.

Ellie Kildunne is rightfully considered one of the best actresses in the world; He won 55 of the 57 matches he played for his country, scoring an impressive 45 tries.

Eberechi Eze, 27 – Arsenal midfielder

Known for his creativity, dribbling ability and versatility, Eberechi Eze was not the easiest player to rise to the top like others on the list.

He began his senior career at Queens Park Rangers before singing for Premier League side Crystal Palace in August 2020.

The attacking midfielder has made more than 150 appearances for the club, even scoring the winning goal in the 2025 FA Cup final.

It was the club’s first major trophy and ensured Eze remained etched in the hearts and minds of thousands of fans, less than a year after his departure to Arsenal.

He was hailed by the fans after returning to the North London club for the 25/26 season and had once played there as a youth player.

The 27-year-old is on the verge of helping the club win their first Premier League title in more than two decades.

Known for his creativity, dribbling ability and versatility, Eberechi Eze is on the verge of helping Arsenal win their first Premier League title in decades

Jack Draper, 24 – Tennis player

Jack Draper was part of the Academy at Chelsea FC for 18 months between the ages of 11 and 12, before deciding tennis was the sport for him.

He got his first experience of Center Court when he watched Andy Murray lose the 2012 final to Roger Federer.

Just six years later, at the age of 16, he graced the lawn himself, reaching the Wimbledon junior final and breaking into the top 500 on the adult circuit on that trip.

He is now seen as the closest thing to a long-term male successor to Sir Andy Murray as far as England standard-bearers are concerned.

Draper has beaten some of the world’s best players, including Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, to reach the quarter-finals of the Queen’s Club Championship in London in 2021.

The 24-year-old claimed another big scalp when he beat Novak Djokovic with a huge 2-1 win at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells earlier this year.

Jack Draper is seen as the closest long-term male successor to Sir Andy Murray when it comes to England’s standard-bearer.

The 24-year-old suffered a major scalp earlier this year when he beat Novak Djokovic with a huge 2-1 win at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Sienna Spiro, 20 – Singer

With her emotional ballads and soulful vocals, Sienna Spiro first attracted attention with the videos she shared on the social media platform TikTok.

The artist, who has made a big impact in the music world since then, has won the appreciation of superstar fans who took the stage with him, such as singer Sam Smith.

The London-born artist entered the top 10 in singles for the first time in November with her song Die On This Hill.

And earlier this year, before she’d even released a studio album, it was announced that she was nominated for the BRIT Critics’ Choice Awards.

She may have missed out on the award, which went to Scottish singer Jacob Alon, but there’s no doubt Sienna is one to watch out for in 2026.

Sienna Spiro first attracted attention by sharing a video on the social media platform TikTok and has since made a splash in the music world.

Owen Cooper, 16 – Actor

Owen Cooper was just 14 years old and had zero acting experience when he took on the role of a teenage killer in Stephen Graham’s popular Netflix drama Adolescence.

His chilling portrayal of Jamie Miller earned him a role alongside Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordie in Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights.

The Liverpudlian actor is now set to star in fashion designer and director Tom Ford’s next film, Cry to Heaven.

Owen made history last September by becoming the youngest male to win an Emmy, and he did it again with a Critics’ Choice victory in January.

The star took home the Best Supporting Actor award, beating co-star Ashley Walters, 43.

Owen made history last September by becoming the youngest male to win an Emmy, and he did it again with a Critics’ Choice victory in January.

Owen, 16, plays troubled teenager Jamie Miller in the series Adolescence, which was released on Netflix in March last year.

Grace Keeling (GK Barry), 26 – Content creator

Grace Keeling, better known as GK Barry, rose to fame by making TikToks while she was a student at the University of Nottingham during the pandemic, where she shared funny anecdotes from her life.

Now an internet sensation, Grace has 4.5 million followers across all social media platforms and is dating Lioness striker Ella Rutherford, 24.

GK finished the competition in fifth place and was evicted on the 20th day of the competition, while McFly’s Danny Jones went on to win the ITV show.

The social media star already has a bright future ahead of her. She is the youngest panelist on Loose Women.

She also hosts a podcast called Saving Grace, with guests including ITV star Alison Hammond and Alan Carr.

Grace Keeling, better known as GK Barry, rose to fame on TikTok and is currently Loose Women’s youngest panellist.

Molly-Mae Hague, 26 – Entrepreneur

Since rising to fame on Love Island with fiancé Tommy Fury, 26, in 2019, Molly has built a social media following of more than 16 million followers across Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.

The 26-year-old’s passion lies in entrepreneurship, having made his name as a reality TV star by appearing in his own Amazon Prime Video docuseries, Behind It All.

Years before appearing on Love Island, Molly began building her personal brand at just 17, launching a YouTube channel where she creates beauty and fashion content for a growing young audience.

She left the London Academy of Fashion Retail to follow her own path and has helped raise her profile even further by collaborating with brands such as PrettyLittleThing.

His biggest collaboration with Adidas was to design two sneakers with the world sportswear giant, whose tickets sold out in a few minutes.

Following the Adidas launch last week, the star described the moment on Instagram as a career-defining moment and said she was ‘incredibly impressed’ by the achievement.

Molly shares three-year-old daughter Bambi with Tommy and the couple are expecting their second child in the coming months.

Years before appearing on Love Island, Molly started building her brand at the tender age of 17, launching a YouTube channel where she creates content for a growing young audience.

Saaras Mehan, 26 – Entrepreneur

Saaras Mehan, once a former member of the England Chess team, is now known as one of the most popular AI recruitment startups.

Saaras, a Cambridge graduate, got his first big break after completing Y Combinator, an American startup accelerator program that helped launch the first artificial intelligence company, Kular.ai.

He later founded Jack and Jill with co-founder Matthew Wilson in early 2025 to streamline the hiring process for both companies and job seekers.

It has since raised nearly $19 million from investors like Creandum and Entrepreneur First, all with fewer than 100 people working behind it.