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The Sky Arts Awards (formerly The South Bank Show Awards and The South Bank Sky Arts Awards) are an accolade recognising British and Irish achievements in the arts. The awards have been given annually since 1997.

They originated with the long-running British arts programme The South Bank Show and Melvyn Bragg, who has served as patron, host and master of ceremonies of the awards until his retirement from the show in late 2023.

The last South Bank Show Awards ceremony to be broadcast by ITV was in January 2010 and was held at The Dorchester hotel in London. After the network announced that The South Bank Show would be cancelled at the end of the 2009 season, the awards ceremony continued to be broadcast by Sky Arts and was eventually renamed the South Bank Sky Arts Awards. Sky Arts revived The South Bank Show itself in 2012.

In 2024, the ceremony's name was simplified after the final season of The South Bank Show in 2023. Although press releases refer to these as the inaugural Sky Arts Awards, the categories remained unchanged from previous ceremonies, although two new ones were added, namely Poetry and Arts Hero, the latter an award dedicated to celebrating the unsung heroes whose work behind the scenes in the arts sector is invaluable.

Award categories

In addition to awards in each of the individual categories, the Sky Arts Awards also include the Outstanding Achievement in the Arts Award recognising lifetime contributions to the arts in Britain, and the Times Breakthrough Award recognising outstanding new British talent. The latter being the only category that is decided by a public vote. Past winners of the Outstanding Achievement in the Arts Award include Julie Walters (2013), Michael Frayn (2012), Dame Judi Dench (2011), JK Rowling (2008), and The Who (2007).

Between 2004 and 2010, the Arts Council England deciBel Award (latterly the Arts Council England Diversity Award) found a home at the ceremony. Winners included Roy Williams for Fallout (2004), Neil Biswas for Bradford Riots (2007), Daljit Nagra for Look We Have Coming To Dover! (2008), street artist Mohammed Ali (2009), and Julie McNamara (2010).

Later between 2013 and 2016, the ceremony was used as the platform to announce the winners of the Sky Academy Arts Scholarships.

As of the 28th annual ceremony (broadcast September 2024), there were 14 award categories:

• Visual Arts
• Theatre
• Dance
• Literature
• Popular Music
• Opera
• Comedy
• Poetry
• Classical Music
• TV Drama
• Film
• Times Breakthrough Award
• Lifetime Achievement Award
• Arts Hero

2024 awards (28th annual ceremony)

With The South Bank Show no longer being broadcast, this year saw the ceremony rebranded to simply The Sky Arts Awards. Shortlisted nominees were announced on 25 July 2024. This year's trophy, in the form of a bronze, was designed by Vic Reeves. A new award for Arts Hero was launched in this year to recognise the unsung heroes who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make the arts possible. The shortlist was up drawn from nominees suggested by the arts community. Melvyn Bragg was given a lifetime achievement award in recognition of his sixty years as champion of the arts.

2023 awards (27th annual ceremony)

Shortlisted nominees were announced on 15 June 2023. This year's trophy, in the form of a porcelain cat, was designed by former winner Grayson Perry.

2022 awards (26th annual ceremony)

Shortlisted nominees were announced on 30 June 2022.

2021 awards (25th annual ceremony)

The 25th annual ceremony marked its return as an in-person event after COVID-19 related restrictions of the previous year with shortlisted nominees announced on 7 June 2021. Two special awards were bestowed this year for innovation in the arts during the pandemic: one for an individual and one for a group / institution.

2020 awards (24th annual ceremony)

Nominations were revealed on 23 November 2020. Due to COVID-19 restrictions the ceremony itself was a virtual event and took place in the winter instead of its usual summertime slot.

2019 awards (23rd annual ceremony)

Nominations were revealed on 3 June 2019.

2018 awards (22nd annual ceremony)

Nominations were revealed on 29 May 2018.

2017 awards (21st annual ceremony)

Nominations were revealed on 6 June 2017

2016 awards (20th annual ceremony)

Nominations were revealed on 3 May 2016.

Selected previous winners (1997—2015)

See also

• List of European art awards

References

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• Arts awards in the United Kingdom
• Awards established in 1996
• European arts awards