Applications Open For Inaugural Great British Theatres Awards

Applications are now open for the inaugural Great British Theatres Awards, recognising the vital role theatres play in the UK's cultural life. Launched to mark Theatres Trust's 50th anniversary, the awards shine a spotlight on the buildings and spaces where extraordinary performances come to life and where communities gather and connect.

Submissions are now open via Theatres Trust's website and close on Thursday 11th June 2026 at 5pm. The awards are open to public nominations as well as submissions from theatre owners and operators, local authorities, architects and theatre consultants.

Joshua McTaggart, CEO of Theatres Trust, comments, Since announcing the Great British Theatres Awards, one message has come through clearly: our theatre spaces and cultural places deserve this national recognition.

With nominations now open, we encourage theatres across the country to step forward and showcase what makes them truly great. As Theatres Trust marks 50 years of championing the nation's theatres, the Great British Theatres Awards will be a significant moment of shared celebration.

Theatres are vital cultural hubs where communities gather and connect. The Great British Theatres Awards honour not the performers, but the very buildings that provide the space for creativity to flourish.

AWARD CATEGORIES

The ten open award categories are:

• Great New Build - Awarded to a newly built theatre or a new extension to an existing theatre. Open to projects completed in the past 5 years.
• Great Renovation - Awarded to a theatre retrofit or refurbishment project, which has adapted an existing theatre to meet the needs of modern and future audiences and performances. Open to projects completed in the past 5 years.
• Great Amateur Theatre - Awarded to an amateur theatre that's making great use of its building. Open to amateur theatres that have carried out refurbishment projects in the past 5 years.
• Great Found Space - Awarded to a live performance venue created in a found or repurposed space, rather than a traditional or purpose-built theatre. Open to venues that have opened or been repurposed in the past 5 years.
• Great Community Connection - Awarded to a theatre that is going above and beyond to open its doors and offer a warm welcome to everyone, whether that's through adaptation to its building, programming or outreach work.
• Great Use of Space - Awarded to a theatre making innovative or unconventional use of a space or spaces in a theatre building. It could be temporary or permanent, on a grand scale or a just a small corner used imaginatively.
• Great Placemaking Partner - Awarded to a local authority that truly values culture and is investing in cultural infrastructure to meaningfully benefit its local community.
• Great Green Theatre - Awarded to a theatre that has put environmental sustainability at the heart of the building, whether through changes to the theatre itself, its operations or its performances.
• Great Public Space - Awarded to a theatre with a space beyond the auditorium that is well-loved and well used by the community or a specific user group.
• Great British Theatres Shining Star - Awarded to an individual or a group of individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to create, save or adapt a theatre building for the community.

In addition to the ten public award categories, the judging panel will present two special honours. The Great British Theatre 2026 award will be given to one building that best exemplifies the spirit of the Great British Theatres Awards, while the Great British Theatres Lifetime Achievement Award will recognise the extraordinary long-term contribution to theatre buildings and cultural infrastructure.

The shortlist of nominees will be announced in September, when tickets for the awards ceremony will go on sale. The inaugural Great British Theatres Awards will take place on 2nd November at Central Hall Westminster.