Sky Arts has announced the nominees for the inaugural Sky Arts Awards, marking a significant moment for the arts and culture sector by celebrating excellence across all art forms. Among the highlights is the film All Of Us Strangers, written and directed by Andrew Haigh, which has finally received a major award nomination after being snubbed at this year’s BAFTAs. The film is nominated alongside How to Have Sex, directed by Molly Manning Walker, and Occupied City, directed and produced by Steve McQueen.
Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts, remarked, “This year we’re rallying around the question of why the arts matter, helped by the inimitable Lord Melvyn Bragg, all the artists who appear in our shows, and the expert juries assembled for each awards category. The Sky Arts Awards will allow us to celebrate and venerate all the arts in one place, definitively proving the value of the sector. With the cohort of superstar nominees, it’s going to be an unmissable night.”
The Classical Music category features Anoushka Shankar for Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn, James MacMillan for The Cumnock Tryst, and Richard Blackford for Songs of Nadia Anjuman. In Comedy, Fern Brady is nominated for her memoir Strong Female Character, alongside Blindboyboatclub for The Blindboy Podcast, and Julia Masli for her live show ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
The Dance category includes Boy Blue for their body of work including Free Your Mind and Cycles, Clod Ensemble for their staging of Charles Mingus’ The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady, and Michael Keegan-Dolan for How To Be A Dancer in Seventy-Two Thousand Easy Lessons. In Literature, Salman Rushdie is nominated for Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, Paul Murray for The Bee Sting, and Claire Kilroy for Soldier Sailor.
The Opera category features Welsh National Opera and NoFit State Circus for Death in Venice, Royal Opera House for Wozzeck, and English National Opera for their body of work. In Poetry, the nominees are Momtaza Mehri for Bad Diaspora Poems, Karen McCarthy Woolf and Nathalie Teitler for editing Mapping the Future, and Jackie Kay for May Day.
The Popular Music category includes singer-songwriter Cleo Sol for her body of work including Gold, rappers Dave and Central Cee for Sprinter, and indie rock band The Last Dinner Party for their debut album Prelude to Ecstasy. The Television category features Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland, The Sixth Commandment, and Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
In Theatre, the nominees are @sohoplace for their accessible theatre, Ryan Calais Cameron for his works including Retrograde and For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy, and The Sherman Theatre in Cardiff. The Visual Arts category features Lindsey Mendick for Shtfaced*, Soheila Sokhanvari for Rebel Rebel, and Steve McQueen for Grenfell.
The Times Breakthrough Award celebrates rising stars across all arts genres, including Ben Goldscheider (Classical Music), Ania Magliano (Comedy), Jemima Brown (Dance), Savanah Leaf (Film), Kaliane Bradley (Literature), Aigul Akhmetshina (Opera), Ella Frears (Poetry), Kneecap (Popular Music), Adjani Salmon (Television), Ben Weatherill (Theatre), and Claudette Johnson (Visual Arts).
Still to be announced is the Melvyn Bragg Award, honoring a remarkable contribution to the arts industry, and nominations are open for the Arts Hero Award, celebrating unsung heroes behind the scenes of the arts.
FULL LIST OF NOMINEES
Classical Music
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Anoushka Shankar for Chapter II: How Dark it is Before Dawn
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James MacMillan for The Cumnock Tryst 2023
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Richard Blackford for Songs of Nadia Anjuman
Comedy
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Blindboyboatclub for The Blindboy Podcast
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Fern Brady for her body of work
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Julia Masli for ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
Dance
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Boy Blue for their body of work
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Clod Ensemble for The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
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Michael Keegan-Dolan for How To Be A Dancer in Seventy-Two Thousand Easy Lessons
Film
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All Of Us Strangers
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How To Have Sex
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Occupied City
Literature
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Salman Rushdie for Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder
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Paul Murray for The Bee Sting
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Claire Kilroy for Soldier Sailor
Opera
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Welsh National Opera and NoFit State Circus for Death in Venice
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Royal Opera House for Wozzeck
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English National Opera for their body of work
Poetry
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Momtaza Mehri for Bad Diaspora Poems
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Karen McCarthy Woolf and Nathalie Teitler for editing Mapping the Future
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Jackie Kay for May Day
Popular Music
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Cleo Sol for her body of work
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Dave & Central Cee for Sprinter
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The Last Dinner Party for Prelude to Ecstasy
Television
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Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland
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The Sixth Commandment
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Mr Bates vs The Post Office
Theatre
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@sohoplace for their body of work
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Ryan Calais Cameron for his body of work
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The Sherman Theatre, Cardiff for their body of work
Visual Arts
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Lindsey Mendick for Shtfaced*
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Soheila Sokhanvari for Rebel Rebel
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Steve McQueen for Grenfell
The Times Breakthrough Award
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Ben Goldscheider: Classical Music
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Ania Magliano: Comedy
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Jemima Brown: Dance
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Savanah Leaf: Film
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Kaliane Bradley: Literature
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Aigul Akhmetshina: Opera
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Ella Frears: Poetry
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Kneecap: Popular Music
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Adjani Salmon: Television
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Ben Weatherill: Theatre
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Claudette Johnson: Visual Arts
The Melvyn Bragg Award
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TBA
The Arts Hero Award
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Nominations close at 23:59, Sunday 11 August
