Graeme was nominated by North Highland College (NHC) where he studied for a National Certificate and a Higher National Certificate and also by Cawdor Estate's sporting manager, Roddy Forbes who described him as "hard working, personable, easy going and a pleasure to have on the estate."
And NHC lecturer David Shaw said in his nomination letter that Graeme's hard working approach on his placement and at College had resulted in him being well respected by his work colleagues and College staff.
"The work Graeme produced on red grouse management is some of the best student work we have ever seen at the College. Graeme's diligence and good communication skills have obviously been recognised by his employer," he said.
Graeme is enthusiastic about his work as he shows visitors around his beat, describing detailed management practices and pointing out the estate's capercaillie wood, the location of SSSIs or a rare bird's nest which is monitored by the RSPB.
His beat is low-lying grouse moor composed largely of bog, but the last time grouse were shot here was in 2001. Since then tick and louping ill have decimated breeding stocks although there is cautious optimism that the coveys counted this spring and summer will allow the estate to shoot a surplus this season.
"In the meantime we're using sheep flocks as tick mops and trying to control hare numbers. We also dose grouse chicks for tick. We're keeping predator numbers down and getting the infrastructure ready, building and maintaining the rows of butts across the estate," he explains.
"We're now seeing the return of golden plover, curlew and redshank on the hill. They're all benefitting fron the tick-free environment and bog cotton is prolific which means there's a good source of protein for wildlife. We're just keeping our fingers crossed that all the work pays off as Cawdor has the potential to be one of the best grouse moors in the country."
Graeme grew up on Hallyburton Estate near Coupar Angus where his parents are tenant farmers. He began by helping the local keepers during school holidays and in the evenings, spot lamping and beating during the seasons. He has strong opinions on some of the most pressing debates in the countryside.
"I've been reading about the Wildlife and Countryside Bill in the shooting press and can see that there are changes in the pipeline for sporting estates which play such an important role in remote rural places. I'm concerned that the threat to snaring contimues even though the Scottish Gamekeepers Association has fought hard to keep it," he says.
"And I'm worried that the occasional discovery of poisoned birds is undermining all the political work being done by the SGA. We all know there's no need for it in this day and age because there's a place for everything. Nature will sort itself out."
SGA Chairman Alex Hogg said Graeme was a great example of the next generation of Scottish gamekeepers.
He added: "The rural Colleges are doing a fantastic job in educating and training young people alongside estates like Cawdor which give them an opportunity to join the profession which understands and manages Scotland's wild places."
The award is sponsored by Lovat Mill and Buccleuch Estates.