Sky Arts Awards Honors British and Irish Arts at London Ceremony

The annual Sky Arts Awards took place on Tuesday 13th October, hosted by Sir Grayson Perry and Rebecca Lucy Taylor (AKA Self Esteem) at the Roundhouse, London, celebrating achievements across the complete spectrum of the arts. Building on previous years and the legacy of the South Bank Sky Arts Awards, the ceremony shone a light on the best of British and Irish arts and culture.

Guests from the arts world in attendance included Nick Mohammed, Justin Hawkins, Jonathan Yeo, Anita Rani, Mica Paris, Myleene Klass and Jim Moir plus many more. Guests were treated to an array of live performances from the English National Ballet, Johnny Marr, Victor Ray and the hosts, Self Esteem and Sir Grayson Perry, who all lit up the stage.

Nominees across all categories were shortlisted and assessed by independent juries comprised of industry peers from all artistic disciplines. The ceremony, broadcast on Sky Arts and Freeview, saw a host of artists take home the coveted awards.

Jacob Alon received the Popular Music award for their emotionally raw 'In Limerence'. Powerful documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, which examined healthcare workers in Gaza, their courage and resilience, won the Television category. Sam Nicoresti's 'Baby Doomer' – a bold, hilarious and personal exploration of identity, love and self-discovery won for Comedy, whilst Pillion, the deeply human LGBTQ drama led by Aleksander Skarsgård and Harry Melling, took home the Film gong.

Marc Brew and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui won the accolade for Dance for their interdisciplinary and fearless 'An Accident / a Life'. The Awards also shone a light on emerging talent with The Times Breakthrough Award, which was presented this year to Nancy Farino for her extraordinary debut play 'Fatherland', in which she also acted. Nancy follows previous recipients including Owen Cooper and Aigul Akhmetshina.

Further wins include KPPL Productions who took home the Theatre award for the West End transfer and subsequent social impact work of 'Punch' - a gripping drama about the devastating consequences of an act of violence and the transformative power of forgiveness. Irish National Opera and Jennifer Walshe won in the Opera category for their bold and inventive contemporary opera, 'MARS'.

Andy Goldsworthy's landmark retrospective celebrating five decades of work, 'Fifty Years', won for Visual Art, and Anna Meredith took home the Classical Music award for her extraordinary body of work, whilst Danny Carlo Pandolfi's spoken word organisation Raise the Bar and Wendy Erskine's brutal and tender debut novel 'The Benefactors' were awarded the Poetry and Literature awards, respectively.

Singer, songwriter, and eminent guitarist Johnny Marr was this year's recipient of The Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising his iconic songwriting and enduring influence on modern music.

Johnny Marr began his prolific career with The Smiths, founding a legacy as one of the most influential songwriters and guitarists in British independent music. Since launching his solo career Johnny has scored six UK Top 10 albums, including his critically acclaimed latest record, The Age Of Everything. 2026 has seen the largest headline show of his solo career at Manchester's Castlefield Bowl, and later this month his best-selling memoir, Set the Boy Free, will receive a special 10th anniversary publication.

The Sky Arts Awards also celebrate the unsung heroes of the industry making a lasting difference through the arts, with this year's Arts Hero award recognising those supporting and inspiring the next generation of talent. Liz Light, Founder and General Manager at Birmingham's Stage2 Youth Theatre, was named this year's Arts Hero, recognised for an extraordinary 38 years spent opening the door to theatre for young people across Birmingham.

Phil Edgar-Jones OBE, Executive Director of Unscripted Originals at Sky, said: 'We were delighted to celebrate all the arts this evening at The Sky Arts Awards. With Sir Grayson Perry and Self Esteem as our incredible hosts, we recognised the extraordinary contribution of the artists, singers, dancers, musicians, writers and poets whose talent, creativity and passion enrich our culture and inspire the next generation of arts superstars. In an increasingly fragmented world, their ability to bring people together has never been more valuable. Congratulations to all our nominees and winners.'

The Sky Arts Awards is commissioned by Phil Edgar-Jones, Executive Director of Unscripted Originals at Sky for Cécile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios & Chief Content Officer for Sky. The Commissioning Editor for Sky is Leanne Cosby, and the Project Manager is Vanessa Woodard. The awards are produced by DRUM Studios, part of Omnicom Media. Executive Producers are Danny Carvalho and Andy Holland.

The Sky Arts Awards are available to watch on Sky Arts, Freeview and streaming service NOW.

Full List of Winners

THEATRE: KPPL Productions for 'Punch'

DANCE: Marc Brew / Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui for 'An accident / a life'

TELEVISION: Gaza: Doctors Under Attack (Channel 4)

OPERA: Irish National Opera and Jennifer Walshe for 'MARS'

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Anna Meredith for her body of work

COMEDY: Sam Nicoresti for 'Baby Doomer'

FILM: Pillion

VISUAL ART: Andy Goldsworthy for 'Fifty Years'

POETRY: Danny Carlo Pandolfi for Raise the Bar

LITERATURE: Wendy Erskine for 'The Benefactors'

POPULAR MUSIC: Jacob Alon for 'In Limerence'

ARTS HERO: Liz Light, Stage2 Youth Theatre, Birmingham

THE TIMES BREAKTHROUGH: Nancy Farino for 'Fatherland'

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: Johnny Marr

Full List of Nominees

Classical Music: Music in the Round and Ensemble 360 - Sheffield Chamber Music Festival; Anna Meredith - body of work; Chineke! - 10 year anniversary concerts

Comedy: Nick Mohammed - Show Pony; Sam Nicoresti - Baby Doomer; Susie McCabe - Coming of Rage

Dance: Marc Brew / Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui - an Accident/a Life; Alesandra Seutin - Mimi's Shebeen; Oluwaseun Alatise - AfroDanceBlast

Film: Hamnet; My Father's Shadow; Pillion

Literature: Wendy Erskine - The Benefactors; Oyinkan Braithwaite - Cursed Daughters; Robert Macfarlane - Is a River Alive?

Opera: Welsh National Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru - Peter Grimes; English National Opera - Dead Man Walking; Irish National Opera and Jennifer Walshe - MARS

Poetry: Danny Carlo Pandolfi - Raise the Bar; Ashley Hickson-Lovence - Why I Am Not a Bus Driver; Joelle Taylor - Maryville

Popular Music: CMAT - EURO-COUNTRY; Jim Legxacy - black british music; Jacob Alon - In Limerence

Television: Grenfell: Uncovered (Netflix); Gaza: Doctors Under Attack (Channel 4); Babies (BBC One)

Theatre: Graeae Theatre Company - Bad Lads; KPPL Productions - Punch; Michael Sheen - Welsh National Theatre

Visual Art: Andy Goldsworthy - Fifty Years; Linder - Danger Came Smiling; Julianknxx - Shifting / Spirit / Time

Jurors

Classical Music: Myleene Klass (Chair) — Broadcaster, presenter and classically trained musician; Anoushka Shankar — Sitar player and composer; Nubya Garcia — Saxophonist, composer and bandleader; Alexis Ffrench — Pianist and composer; Fiona Maddocks — Classical music critic and writer; Alison Balsom — Trumpeter and classical musician

Comedy: Shane Allen (Chair) — Television comedy executive and producer; former BBC Controller of Comedy Commissioning; Krista MacDonald — Television and comedy producer; Katherine Ryan — Comedian, writer, presenter and actor; Shaparak Khorsandi — Comedian, writer and poet; Abi Clarke — Comedian, writer and social media creator; Tim Harding — Comedy producer and executive

Dance: Sir Alistair Spalding (Chair) — Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Sadler's Wells; Dame Darcey Bussell — Former ballet dancer, judge and broadcaster; Jonzi D — Dancer, choreographer, rapper and theatre-maker; Sir Wayne McGregor — Choreographer, director and founder of Studio Wayne McGregor; Nifè — Dancer and choreographer; Lyndsey Winship — Dance critic and writer

Film: Ian Nathan (Chair) — Film critic, journalist and author; Tanya Seghatchian — Film producer and executive; Iwan Rheon — Actor and musician; Boyd Hilton — Film and television critic and journalist; Anna Smith — Film critic, journalist and broadcaster; Stephen Armstrong — Journalist and author; Thomas Duke — Film journalist and writer

Literature: Alex Clark (Chair) — Literary critic, editor and writer; Nihal Arthanayake — Broadcaster, presenter and journalist; Matt Cain — Author, journalist and broadcaster; Ian Rankin — Crime novelist and creator of the Inspector Rebus series; Chibundu Onuzo — Novelist and academic; Ruby Granger — Book-focused YouTuber, writer and content creator

Opera: Neil Fisher (Chair) — Opera critic and arts journalist; Lesley Garrett — Opera singer and broadcaster; Nicky Spence — Tenor and opera singer; Katherine Jenkins — Mezzo-soprano and recording artist; Soraya Mafi — Soprano and opera singer; Isabel Canto — Opera singer and soprano

Poetry: Lemn Sissay (Chair) — Poet, playwright and broadcaster; Judith Palmer — Poetry curator, editor and arts professional; Asif Khan — Poet and writer; Hollie McNish — Poet and writer; Nikita Gill — Poet and author; Dan Whitlam — Poet and spoken-word artist

Popular Music: Edith Bowman (Chair) — Broadcaster, radio presenter and music journalist; Sharleen Spiteri — Singer, songwriter and musician; lead vocalist of Texas; Kitty Empire — Music critic and journalist; Omar — Singer, songwriter and musician; Pauline Black — Singer and musician; lead vocalist of The Selecter; Kojey Radical — Rapper, musician and visual artist; Guy Garvey — Singer, songwriter, musician and frontman of Elbow

Television: David Olusoga (Chair) — Historian, author, broadcaster and documentary presenter; Adjani Salmon — Actor, writer and filmmaker; Dolly Alderton — Author, journalist, podcaster and screenwriter; Rose Ayling-Ellis — Actor and television presenter; Jim Moir — Actor, comedian, musician and artist; Anita Rani — Broadcaster and television/radio presenter; Boyd Hilton — Television and film critic and journalist

Theatre: Alistair Smith (Chair) — Theatre journalist and editor; Indhu Rubasingham — Theatre director; Nica Burns — Theatre producer and co-owner of Nimax Theatres; Mat Fraser — Actor, musician and disability arts performer; Adjoa Andoh — Actor, director and writer; George Fouracres — Actor, comedian and theatre-maker

Visual Arts: Waldemar Januszczak (Chair) — Art critic, curator, journalist and broadcaster; Eva Langret — Director of EMEA, Frieze; Alison Lapper — Artist and disability arts advocate; Sophie Tea — Artist, author and entrepreneur; Katy Hessel — Art historian, curator, author and broadcaster; Alastair Sooke — Art critic, journalist and broadcaster; Yinka Ilori — Artist and designer

Photo Credit: Getty Images