South Bank Sky Arts Award

South Bank Sky Arts Awards
Awarded for	British achievements in the arts
Date	2 July 2023 (2023-07-02)
Standort	Savoy Hotel, London
Land	Vereinigtes Königreich
Hosted by	Melvyn Bragg
Formerly called	The South Bank Show Awards
First awarded	1997 (1997)
Website	skyarts.sky.com/south-bank-sky-arts-awards
Television/radio coverage
Network	ITV (1997–2010) Sky Arts (2011–present)

The South Bank Sky Arts Awards (originally The South Bank Show Awards) are an accolade recognising British 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 since their inception. 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 had 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.

Award categories

The 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics cauldron, winner of the South Bank Sky Arts Award for Visual Art, March 2013

In addition to awards in each of the individual categories, the South Bank 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 27th annual ceremony (broadcast July 2023), there were 12 award categories:

• Visual Arts
• Theatre
• Dance
• Literature
• Pop Music
• Oper
• Comedy
• Classical Music
• TV Drama
• Film
• Times Breakthrough Award
• Outstanding Achievement in 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.

Presented: 2 July 2023 at the Savoy Hotel, London

Visual Arts	Theatre	Dance
Winner – Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Fly in League with the Night (Tate Britain) Hew Locke: The Procession (Tate Britain) Mohammed Sami: The Point 0 (Camden Arts Centre)	Winner – Prima Facie: Harold Pinter Theatre Blues for an Alabama Sky: Royal National Theatre A Streetcar Named Desire: Almeida Theatre	Winner – Light of Passage: The Royal Ballet Say It Loud: Ballet Black Coppélia: Scottish Ballet
Literature	Pop Music	Oper
Winner – The New Life: Tom Crewe My Name is Yip: Paddy Crewe The Exhibitionist: Charlotte Mendelson	Winner – Raye: My 21st  Century Blues Kojey Radical: Reason To Smile Arctic Monkeys: The Car	Winner – The Rhinegold: English National Opera Violet: Britten Pears Arts and Music Theatre Wales for the Aldeburgh Festival The Makropulos Affair: Welsh National Opera
Comedy	Classical Music	TV Drama
Winner – Big Boys: Roughcut Television / Channel 4 Derry Girls: Hat Trick Productions / Channel 4 Jordan Gray: Is it a Bird?	Winner – Gavin Higgins’ Concerto Grosso for Brass Band and Orchestra : The Tredegar Band with BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Proms Hive; Sally Beamish: BBC National Orchestra of Wales with Catrin Finch (harp), BBC Proms The Oracle: Manchester Collective & Abel Selaocoe	Winner – Happy Valley: Lookout Point TV / BBC One The English: Drama Republic & Eight Rooks for Amazon & BBC Sherwood: House Productions / BBC One
Film	The Times Breakthrough Award	Outstanding Achievement in the Arts
Winner – Aftersun Ali & Ava The Wonder	Winner – Dance : Musa Motha Comedy: Leo Reich TV Drama: Leo Woodall Literature: Louise Kennedy Opera: Freddie De Tommaso Classical: Sophie Kauer Visual Art: Rana Begum Theatre: Rosie Sheehy Film: Raine Allen-Miller Pop: Jockstrap	Winner – Salman Rushdie (author)

2022 awards (26th annual ceremony)

Shortlisted nominees were announced on 30 June 2022.

Presented: 10 July 2022 at the Savoy Hotel, London

Visual Arts	Theatre	Dance
Winner — Michael Armitage: Paradise Edict (Royal Academy of Arts) Rachel Whiteread: Internal Objects (Gagosian) Hurvin Anderson: Reverb (Thomas Dane Gallery)	Winner – Best of Enemies: A Young Vic and Headlong co-production The Walk: The Walk Productions in association with Handspring Puppet Company and Good Chance Theatre Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club	Winner – The Dante Project: Wayne McGregor, The Royal Ballet Then or Now: Ballet Black Starstruck: Scottish Ballet
Literature	Pop Music	Oper
Winner – Love Marriage: Monica Ali Burntcoat: Sarah Hall Open Water: Caleb Azumah Nelson	Winner – Little Simz: Sometimes I Might Be Introvert Sam Fender: Seventeen Going Under Self Esteem: Prioritise Pleasure	Winner – Rigoletto: Opera North Bluebeard's Castle: Theatre of Sound Wagner’s RhineGold: Birmingham Opera Company
Comedy	Classical Music	TV Drama
Winner – We Are Lady Parts, Channel 4 Starstruck (series 1), BBC One Alma’s Not Normal, BBC Two	Winner – Huw Watkins' Symphony No.2: The Hallé Dani Howard – Trombone Concerto: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Up for Grabs, Mark-Anthony Turnage: BBC Symphony Orchestra, Barbican	Winner – It’s A Sin: Red Production Company for Channel 4 and HBO Max in association with All3Media International Time: BBC Studios for BBC One This Is Going To Hurt: Sister / Terrible Productions for BBC One
Film	The Times Breakthrough Award	Outstanding Achievement in the Arts
Winner – Passing After Love Boiling Point	Winner – Comedy: Liz Kingsman Classical Music: Dani Howard Dance: Emily Suzuki Film: Emilia Jones Literature: Catriona Ward Opera: Nardus Williams Pop: Wet Leg Theatre: Samuel Creasey TV Drama: Gabrielle Creevy Visual Art: Rachel Jones	Winner — Tamara Rojo (for her 10 highly regarded, transformational years as artistic director of English National Ballet)

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.

Presented: 19 July 2021 at the Savoy Hotel, London

Visual Arts	Theatre	Dance
Winner – Denzil Forrester: Itchin & Scratchin, Nottingham Contemporary & Spike Island Hold Still: National Portrait Gallery Cold War Steve Meets The Outside World: Medway / Bournemouth / Liverpool / Coventry	Winner – Uncle Vanya (2020 film): Harold Pinter Theatre / BBC Four Pass Over: Kiln Theatre Blindness: Donmar Warehouse	Winner – Scherzo: The Royal Ballet Lazuli Sky: Birmingham Royal Ballet Final Edition: Richard Alston Dance Company
Literature	Pop Music	Oper
Winner – Hamnet: Maggie O’Farrell Shuggie Bain: Douglas Stuart Rainbow Milk: Paul Mendez	Winner – Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia J Hus: Big Conspiracy SAULT: Untitled (Black Is)	Winner – L’enfant et les sortilèges, VOPERA Street Scene, Opera North Nixon in China, Scottish Opera
Comedy	Classical Music	TV Drama
Winner – Ghosts (series 2), Monumental Television / BBC One Home (series 2): Jantaculum / Channel X / Channel 4 Feel Good: Objective Fiction & Objective Media Group Scotland / Channel 4 / Netflix	Winner – Petrenko's Mahler I & II: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Lawrence Power: The Lockdown Commissions Second Ragged Music Festival: Ragged School Museum	Winner – I May Destroy You: BBC One / HBO Small Axe: BBC One Industry: Bad Wolf / BBC / HBO
Film	The Times Breakthrough Award	Outstanding Achievement in the Arts
Winner – Rocks Saint Maud His House	Winner – Theatre: Samuel Bailey Classical Music: Mishka Rushdie Momen Comedy: The Pin Dance: Arielle Smith Film: Nick Rowland Literature: Marina Kemp Opera: Alex Woolf Pop: Arlo Parks TV Drama: Noah Jupe Visual Art: Alberta Whittle	Winner – Grayson Perry (artist, writer and broadcaster)
Innovation in the arts during the pandemic
Winner: Group / Institution— Wigmore Hall for leading the way in transmission of live performance by exceptional performers Winner: Individual – Sam Mendes for the Theatre Artists Fund

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.

Presented: 10 December 2020 at the London Coliseum

Visual Arts	Theatre	Dance
Winner – Steve McQueen: Year 3 (Tate Britain and billboards across London) Tracey Emin: A Fortnight of Tears (White Cube, Bermondsey) Martin Parr: Only Human (National Portrait Gallery)	Winner – Standing at the Sky’s Edge: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Life of Pi: Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Cyrano de Bergerac: Playhouse Theatre	Winner – Victoria: Northern Ballet Ingoma: Ballet Black Matthew Bourne's Romeo and Juliet: A New Adventures Production
Literature	Pop Music	Oper
Winner – Girl: Edna O’Brien The Confessions of Frannie Langton: Sara Collins On Chapel Sands: My mother and other missing persons: Laura Cumming	Winner – Dave: Psychodrama Kano: Hoodies All Summer Michael Kiwanuka: Kiwanuka	Winner – Katya Kabanova: The Royal Opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk: Birmingham Opera Company Iolanta: Opera Holland Park
Comedy	Classical Music	TV Drama
Winner – Fleabag: BBC Three and Amazon Prime Video / Two Brothers Pictures Sex Education: Netflix / Eleven Film Home: Jantaculum / Channel X for Channel 4	Winner – Thea Musgrave Trumpet Concerto: Cheltenham Music Festival / City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Götterdämmerung, Edinburgh International Festival: Sir Andrew Davis and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Thomas Adès Concerto for Piano and Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra	Winner – Chernobyl: Sister / The Mighty Mint / Word Games / Sky Atlantic / HBO The Virtues: Warp Films / Big Arty Productions / Channel 4 Years and Years: Red Production Company and HBO for BBC One
Film	The Times Breakthrough Award	Outstanding Achievement in the Arts
Winner – The Souvenir Rocketman For Sama	Winner – Film: Waad Al-Kateab Classical Music: Jess Gillam Comedy: London Hughes Dance: Paris Fitzpatrick Literature: Candice Carty-Williams Opera: Rowan Pierce Pop: Beabadoobee Theatre: Miriam-Teak Lee TV Drama: Dafne Keen Visual Art: Michael Armitage	Winner – Ian McKellen (actor)

2019 awards (23rd annual ceremony)

Nominations were revealed on 3 June 2019.

Presented: 7 July 2019 at the Savoy Hotel, London

Visual Arts	Theatre	Dance
Winner – 14—18 NOW / Danny Boyle: Pages of the Sea Tacita Dean: The exhibitions, Landscape; Portrait; Still Life and Woman with a Red Hat Royal Academy of Arts 250th Summer Exhibition: co-ordinated by Grayson Perry	Winner – The Inheritance: Young Vic & Noël Coward Theatre Company: Gielgud Theatre Sweat: Donmar Warehouse	Winner – Playlist (Track 1, 2) by William Forsythe, English National Ballet Corybantic Games by Christopher Wheeldon, The Royal Ballet XENOS: Akram Khan Company
Literature	Pop Music	Oper
Winner – Ordinary People: Diana Evans The Italian Teacher: Tom Rachman Kudos: Rachel Cusk	Winner – Lily Allen: No Shame Sons of Kemet: Your Queen is a Reptile IDLES: Joy as an Act of Resistance	Winner – Porgy and Bess: English National Opera Rhondda Rips It Up!: Welsh National Opera Falstaff: Garsington Opera
Comedy	Classical Music	TV Drama
Winner – Derry Girls: Hat Trick Productions / Channel 4 Inside No. 9: BBC Studios / BBC Two Hang Ups: SLAM Films / Channel 4	Winner – Debussy Festival: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Bernstein Centenary: John Wilson Cumnock Tryst	Winner – A Very English Scandal: Blueprint Pictures / BBC One Patrick Melrose: Little Island Productions / Two Cities Television / Sunny March / Sky Atlantic Killing Eve: Sid Gentle Films / BBC One
Film	The Times Breakthrough Award	Outstanding Achievement in the Arts
Winner – The Favourite Beast They Shall Not Grow Old	Winner – Film: Jessie Buckley Classical Music: Alpesh Chauhan Comedy: Jessie Cave Dance: Joseph Sissens Literature: Anna-Marie Crowhurst Opera: Nadine Benjamin Pop: Freya Ridings Theatre: Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss TV Drama: Chance Perdomo Visual Art: Haroon Mirza	Winner – Sir Lenny Henry (comedian)

2018 awards (22nd annual ceremony)

Nominations were revealed on 29 May 2018.

Presented: 1 July 2018 at the Savoy Hotel, London

Visual Arts	Theatre	Dance
Winner – Rose Wylie: Quack Quack, Serpentine Sackler Gallery Mat Collishaw: Thresholds, Somerset House Paula Rego: The Boy Who Loved the Sea and Other Stories, Jerwood Gallery	Winner – The Jungle: A Young Vic and National Theatre co-production with Good Chance Theatre The Ferryman: Royal Court / Gielgud Theatre Follies: National Theatre	Winner – Maliphantworks: Russell Maliphant Company Flight Pattern: The Royal Ballet Pina Bausch's Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring): English National Ballet
Literature	Pop Music	Oper
Winner – Ma’am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret: Craig Brown Home Fire: Kamila Shamsie La Belle Sauvage: The Book of Dust: Philip Pullman	Winner – Stormzy: Gang Signs & Prayer Loyle Carner: Yesterday’s Gone Dua Lipa: Dua Lipa	Winner – Hamlet: Glyndebourne Pelléas and Mélisande: Scottish Opera Albert Herring: The Grange Festival
Comedy	Classical Music	TV Drama
Winner – Inside No. 9: BBC Two Catastrophe: Channel 4 This Country: BBC Three	Winner – Gurrelieder: BBC Philharmonic and The Hallé Enescu's Oedipe: London Philharmonic Orchestra This is Rattle: London Symphony Orchestra	Winner – Howards End: Playground / BBC One Line of Duty: World Productions / BBC One The Crown: Left Bank Pictures / Netflix
Film	The Times Breakthrough Award	Outstanding Achievement in the Arts
Winner – Paddington 2 Lady Macbeth Dunkirk	Winner – Pop: Nubya Garcia Classical Music: Oliver Zeffman Comedy: Sophie Willan Dance: Dickson Mbi Film: Francis Lee Literature: Imogen Hermes Gowar Opera: Rachel Redmond Theatre: Monica Dolan TV Drama: Alex Lawther Visual Art: Heather Agyepong	Winner – Benedict Cumberbatch (actor)

2017 awards (21st annual ceremony)

Nominations were revealed on 6 June 2017

Presented: 9 July 2017 at the Savoy Hotel, London

Visual Arts	Theatre	Dance
Winner – Artangel: Inside: Artists and Writers in Reading Prison John Akomfrah: Vertigo Sea George Shaw: My Back to Nature	Winner – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Palace Theatre The Shakespeare Trilogy: Donmar at King's Cross Yerma: Young Vic	Winner – Akram Khan's Giselle: English National Ballet An Italian in Madrid: Richard Alston Dance Company Jane Eyre: Northern Ballet
Literature	Pop Music	Oper
Winner – The Gustav Sonata: Rose Tremain The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between: Hisham Matar Swing Time: Zadie Smith	Winner – David Bowie: Blackstar The 1975: I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it Skepta: Konnichiwa	Winner – Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle), Opera North 4.48 Psychosis: Royal Opera House Nothing: Glyndebourne Youth Opera
Comedy	Classical Music	TV Drama
Winner – Fleabag: BBC Three Camping: Sky Atlantic People Just Do Nothing: BBC Three	Winner – Stravinsky: Myths & Rituals, Philharmonia Orchestra Tom Coult: Spirit of the Staircase, London Sinfonietta / Martyn Brabbins Monteverdi: Vespers, Dunedin Consort: Lammermuir	Winner – Happy Valley: BBC One National Treasure: Channel 4 The Crown: Netflix
Film	The Times Breakthrough Award	Outstanding Achievement in the Arts
Winner – I, Daniel Blake American Honey Under the Shadow	Winner – Classical: Sheku Kanneh-Mason Comedy: Kieran Hodgson Dance: Vidya Patel Film: Lewis MacDougall Literature: Joseph Knox Opera: Natalya Romaniw Pop Music: Sampha Theatre: Kate O’Flynn TV Drama: Malachi Kirby Visual Art: Rachel Kneebone	Winner – Andrew Lloyd Webber (theatre composer, impresario)

2016 awards (20th annual ceremony)

Nominations were revealed on 3 May 2016.

Presented: 5 June 2016 at the Savoy Hotel, London

Visual Arts	Theatre	Dance
Winner – Lynette Yiadom-Boakye: Verses After Dusk, Serpentine Gallery Banksy: Dismaland Bemusement Park Cornelia Parker: Magna Carta (An Embroidery), British Library	Winner – Hangmen: Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court Theatre Oresteia: Almeida Theatre People, Places and Things: National Theatre and Headlong	Winner – 1984: Northern Ballet Paradise Lost (lies unopened beside me): Lost Dog Woolf Works: The Royal Ballet
Literature	Pop Music	Oper
Winner – The Year of the Runaways: Sunjeev Sahota The Past: Tessa Hadley The Wolf Border: Sarah Hall	Winner – Benjamin Clementine: At Least For Now Sleaford Mods: Key Markets Years & Years: Communion	Winner – Force of Destiny, English National Opera Krol Roger, Royal Opera House Saul, Glyndebourne
Comedy	Classical Music	TV Drama
Winner – Catastrophe: Channel 4 Chewing Gum: E4 Peter Kay's Car Share: BBC One	Winner – Mark Simpson: The Immortal Stephen Hough: International Piano Series, Debussy and Chopin, Royal Festival Hall City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra: Andris Nelsons' Farewell Concert, Symphony Hall	Winner – Doctor Foster, BBC One Humans, Channel 4 Wolf Hall, BBC Two
Film	The Times Breakthrough Award	Outstanding Achievement in the Arts
Winner – 45 Years Brooklyn Ex Machina	Winner – Pop: Stormzy Classical Music: Mark Simpson Comedy: Romesh Ranganathan Dance: Zizi Strallen Film: Agyness Deyn Literature: Barney Norris Opera: Jennifer France Theatre: Matt Henry TV Drama: Michaela Coel Visual Art: Charlotte Moth	Winner – Eddie Izzard (comedian and actor)

Selected previous winners (1997—2015)

Source: West End Theatre unless otherwise stated

Visual Arts	Outstanding Achievement in the Arts
2015: Paul Cummins: Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red 2014: Katie Paterson: Tipping Point, Wolverhampton Art Gallery 2013: Thomas Heatherwick: London 2012 Olympic Cauldron 2012: Grayson Perry: Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman, British Museum 2011: Tacita Dean: The Craneway Event, Frith Street Gallery 2010: Anish Kapoor: retrospective exhibition, Royal Academy 2009: Peter Doig: Tate Britain 2008: Andy Goldsworthy: Yorkshire Sculpture Park 2007: Gilbert & George: Sonofagod Pictures: Was Jesus Heterosexual? 2006: John Virtue: London paintings at The National Gallery 2005: Paula Rego: In Focus exhibition at Tate Britain 2004: Chris Ofili: Venice Biennale 2003: Anish Kapoor: Marsyas 2002: Frank Auerbach: retrospective at the Royal Academy 2001: Norman Foster: Great Court of the British Museum 2000: Gary Hulme: exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery 1999: Anthony Gormley: Angel of the North 1998: ? 1997: ?	2015: Sylvie Guillem, dancer, choreographer 2014: Tracey Emin, artist 2013: Julie Walters, actress 2012: Michael Frayn, writer 2011: Judi Dench, actress 2010: Melvyn Bragg, TV presenter 2009: Cameron Mackintosh, theatre producer 2008: J. K. Rowling, author 2007: The Who, rock group 2006: Richard Attenborough, film director 2005: Paul Abbott, scriptwriter 2004: Helen Mirren, actress 2003: Tom Stoppard, playwright 2002: Bernard Haitink, conductor 2001: Harold Pinter, playwright 2000: Cliff Richard, pop singer 1999: Simon Rattle, conductor 1998: ? 1997: Richard Eyre, theatre director
Literature	Theatre
2015: Henry Marsh: Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery 2014: Kate Atkinson: Life after Life 2013: Hilary Mantel: Bring Up The Bodies 2012: Claire Tomalin: Charles Dickens: A Life 2011: Candia McWilliam: What to Look for in Winter: A Memoir in Blindness 2010: Adam Foulds: The Quickening Maze 2009: Linda Grant: The Clothes on their Backs 2008: Mohsin Hamid: The Reluctant Fundamentalist 2007: Edward St Aubyn: Mother’s Milk 2006: John McGahern: Memoir 2005: David Mitchell: Cloud Atlas 2004: Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 2003: Sarah Waters: Fingersmith 2002: Ian McEwan: Atonement 2001: Peter Ackroyd: London: The Biography 2000: Seamus Heaney: Beowulf 1999: Ted Hughes: Birthday Letters 1998: ? 1997: Seamus Deane: Reading in the Dark	2015: King Charles III (Almeida Theatre / Wyndham's Theatre) 2014: Let The Right One In (National Theatre of Scotland) 2013: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (National Theatre) 2012: Matilda, Royal Shakespeare Company (Cambridge Theatre) 2011: Clybourne Park (Royal Court) 2010: Rachel Weisz: A Streetcar Named Desire (Donmar Warehouse) 2009: Othello (Donmar Warehouse) 2008: Saint Joan (National Theatre) 2007: Black Watch (Traverse Theatre) 2006: Mary Stuart (Donmar Warehouse & Apollo Theatre) 2005: Nicholas Hytner: The History Boys (National Theatre) 2004: Michael Frayn: Democracy (National Theatre) 2003: Sam Mendes: Twelfth Night & Uncle Vanya (Donmar Warehouse) 2002: This England: The Histories (Royal Shakespeare Company) 2001: Michael Grandage: As You Like It 2000: Trevor Nunn: Summerfolk (National Theatre) 1999: Michael Frayn: Copenhagen 1998: Jonathan Kent: Ivanov 1997: Diana Rigg & David Suchet: Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?

See also

• List of European art awards