Following a phenomenal response to the call for nominations for the first ever Manchester Culture Awards, details of the shortlisted nominees can now be revealed.
The awards recognise the best of culture in the city over the last year and have been established by the council to recognise the massive contribution culture makes to the city’s economy, and the role of culture in helping make Manchester a vibrant place where people want to live, work, and play.
The cultural call-out back in June this year saw nearly 300 nominations made across twelve different award categories.
The volume of entries along with the exceptional quality of all those nominated, meant it was no easy task for the judges who had the unenviable task of deciding who should go through to the next round of judging.
The judging panel was made up of Sara Todd, Deputy Chief Executive Manchester City Council; Alison Clark, Director North & National Combined Arts Director, Arts Council England; Mags Bradbury, Associate Director Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Central Manchester University NHS Trust; Keisha Thompson, Manchester writer, performance artist and producer; and Mark Dobson, independent cultural consultant; and Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Schools, Culture and Leisure.
After much discussion and debate five nominees were shortlisted in each category and will now go forward to the final stage of judging.
Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Executive Member for Schools, Culture, and Leisure, Manchester City Council, said: “We had a phenomenal response to our call-out for nominations and such was the calibre of organisations, events, exhibitions, and individuals nominated that the bar was set very high for them to get through to the final stage of judging.
“It was a really tough job to whittle all of the nominations down, and it’s going to be even tougher to decide which of the five finalists in each category should be crowned the winner.”
Finalists in each award category:
Young Creative of the Year
Ali Wilson
Annalise Browne
Jonathon Heyward
Dominic Bennett
Mohammed Leonardo
Promotion of Health and Wellbeing
Streetwise Opera
HerArt
Contact
Manchester Museum
Manchester Art Gallery
Promotion of Equality & Diversity
The Proud Trust
Women’s Words on Manchester
Venture Arts
Olympias Music Foundation
Amani Creatives
Promotion of Environmental Sustainability
Manchester Arts and Sustainability Team
Manchester City Council Events Team and Walk The Plank
HOME
Bridgewater Basin Eco Partnership
Z-Arts and St Philip’s Primary School
Promotion of Talent and Leadership
SharpFutures
HOME Young Creatives
Contact
Venture Arts
Young Identity
Best Business Partnership
Bruntwood
Museum of Science and Industry
Halle Orchestra and Siemens
Z-Arts and One Manchester
Commonplace
Best Event
Paris-Manchester 1918 – RNCM
What Is the City but the People? – Manchester International Festival commission
This is Human – Project X, HOME
Manchester Science Festival 2017 – Museum of Science and Industry
This Vibrant Thing – PlatformMcr and Manchester Libraries
Best Performance
The Welcoming Party – Manchester International Festival, Z-Arts, Theatre Rites co-commission
Tony Walsh – This is the Place
#BeMoreMartyn – Hope Theatre Company
Illuminate – Company Chameleon
She Bangs the Drum – Contact Young Company and People’s History Museum
Best Exhibition
Sonia Boyce – Manchester Art Gallery
Stories of Sacrifice – British Muslim Heritage Centre
Waqas Khan – Manchester Art Gallery
Beyond Dementia – The Whitworth
Never Going Underground – People’s History Museum
Inspiring Innovation
Comma Press
The Edge Theatre & Arts Centre
Old Abbey Taphouse
Z-Arts
Manchester Street Poem – Manchester International Festival commission
Outstanding Contribution
Carcanet Press
Manchester International Festival
This is the Place (book) – Tony Walsh
Royal Exchange Theatre
Linda Brogan – Excavating the Reno
