candidate
prospective recipient of a specific award or position
pretender
someone who claims to be rightful holder of a throne that is vacant or held by another
freshman
someone new to an organization
reality television participant
person who participates in reality television
lead candidate
lead candidate in an election
Catholic seminarian
someone who is studying at a seminary, and who is discerning the call to the Roman Catholic priesthood
political candidate
candidate in an election for political office
novice
person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows; person or creature who is new to a field or activity
candidate for the priesthood
student of theology preparing to be ordained as a priest
presumptive nominee
candidate that will almost certainly be nominated
contestant
entity vying in some contest (e.g. a person, team, company, creative work)