- 13 categories attract hundreds of entries from artists, creatives, volunteer and community groups
- Awards to be staged at Shakespeare North Playhouse in March
The 39 finalists for the 2023 Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards are today unveiled with the announcement that the glittering ceremony will take place at the iconic Shakespeare North Playhouse.
Hundreds of artists, creatives, volunteer and community groups entered the 13 categories which include Inspirational Young Person and awards for Environmental work and Community Cohesion.
A final category, the People’s Choice Award – Outstanding Contribution to Culture, will be voted for by the public, before the winners are declared at the event in March.
The awards will come live from the magnificent new venue in Prescot, which is located in in this year’s Borough of Culture – Knowsley.
Nominations were whittled down to the 39 shortlisted entries by an expert panel of judges including Cultural Partnership Chair Sir Phil Redmond, Kate Royse the Director of the Hartree Centre, Colin Sinclair, Chief Executive Sciontec Developments and the Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, and Michelle Charters CEO of the Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said:
“I launched these awards four years ago because I wanted to shine a spotlight on the incredible individuals and businesses who go above and beyond every year to help make our area the UK’s cultural capital.
“We’ll be celebrating the exceptional talents of all those who help to enrich all our lives and make our region one of the most vibrant and exciting places to live, work, visit, or do business in. All the finalists deserve every bit of praise for their accomplishments and I’m really looking forward to celebrating their achievements in a night filled with celebration next year.”
Online voting for the People’s Choice Award – Outstanding Contribution to Culture will open in the New Year. The finalists are:
- Africa Oyé
Creative Balance - Homotopia
- Culture Knowsley – Borough of Culture 2022
- Shakespeare North Playhouse
- The World in One City
Chair of the Cultural Partnership Sir Phil Redmond said:
“The Liverpool City Region has been working hard to cultivate technology, innovation, and science across the area and that has definitely been reflected in this year’s nominations to the awards.
“I was delighted to have these sectors included within our judging panel and it was fascinating to see how the different categories spoke to everyone to develop and introduce new ideas and creative approaches.”
Now in their fourth year, the Culture and Creativity Awards celebrate the huge contribution that the cultural and creative sector bring to the Liverpool City Region and the difference it makes to people’s lives.
Portfolio Holder for Culture for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Councillor Mike Wharton said:
“Well done to all of the finalists. What an amazing showcase of culture and creativity the 2023 event will be. We have such a breadth of talent across our region.
“The Liverpool City Region was the first Combined Authority to have culture included in its devolution agreement and I think that we are now seeing that involvement go from strength to strength.”
New judge Kate Royse, Director of the Hartree Centre, said:
“It’s been a great experience and being a newcomer to the city region I’ve very much enjoyed understanding the blend between the creativity involved in innovation and technology and that which makes up the more traditional cultural projects.
“I was incredibly impressed with all the nominees and it was very difficult to choose the finalists!”
Kuumba Imani Millennium Centre CEO Michelle Charters has been involved in the awards since their inception. She said:
“I’m looking forward to what this year’s winners will go on to achieve as we’ve seen great things from our previous winners and the opportunities they’ve been able to benefit from.
“The quality of the nominees is always very high, but particularly this year where we saw such a diverse and talented amount of nominees and lots of new projects; so many of them are worthy of being commended.”
The Culture and Creativity Awards were established as part of the Mayor’s commitment to culture through his 1% for Culture initiative. Previous award winners include author and performer Ashleigh Nugent, Liverpool Theatre Festival founder Bill Elms, muralist Paul Curtis, choir leader Jennifer John, The Atkinson, Heart of Glass and Spider Project.
The Categories:
People’s Choice Award – Outstanding Contribution to Culture
This award is to celebrate an outstanding contribution to culture and creativity, which has made a significant difference to the quality of life at either local, Borough or City Region level.
The finalists are:
- Africa Oyé
- Creative Balance
- Homotopia
- Knowsley Borough of Culture 2022 Programme
- Shakespeare North Playhouse
- The World In One City
Inspirational Young Person Award
This award is to celebrate the impact of a young person under the age of 25 who displays an innovative and inspiring approach to art, culture and/or creativity.
The finalists are:
- Claire Beerjeraz
- Abdulwase Sufian
- Khalil Aydemir
Artist / Creative of the Year
This award is to celebrate an individual whose work has stood out and contributed to the cultural and creative reputation of the LCR. This could be for a piece of work or a number of arts, cultural or creative projects that collectively have been consistently outstanding.
The finalists are:
- Amy Flynn
- Bev Ayre – Creative Producer Knowsley Borough of Culture
- Ali Harwood
- The Scouse Ghetto Gourmet
Arts Organisation of the Year
This award is to celebrate an organisation whose work has stood out and contributed to the cultural and creative reputation of the LCR. This could be for a piece of work or a number of arts, cultural or creative projects that collectively have been consistently outstanding.
The finalists are:
- Creative Balance
- Future Yard
- Culture Knowsley – Borough of Culture 2022
Health & Wellbeing Award
This award is to celebrate the impact culture and creativity has in health and wellbeing.
The finalists are:
- Beyond Raw Materials
- Katumba Drumming & Movement
- Liverpool Lighthouse
Environmental Award
This award is to celebrate the impact culture and creativity has on the green agenda, including environmental sustainability and contribution to net zero targets.
The finalists are:
- Abyan Faruk
- DefProc Engineering
- United By Land
Improving Education & Learning Award
This award is to celebrate the impact of culture and creativity to achieve positive outcomes in education and learning.
The finalists are:
- All Things Considered Theatre Company
- LCR Grad Scheme by University of Liverpool
- MMEHA – Merseyside Music Education Hub Alliance
- Agent Academy
Community Cohesion Award
This award is to celebrate the impact culture and creativity has on bringing communities together.
The finalists are:
- Daniel Davies – Rockpoint Leisure
- Granby Street Market
- Shakespeare North Playhouse
International Reach Award
This award is to celebrate the impact culture and creativity has on strengthening international relationships.
The finalists are:
- Liverpool Irish Festival
- Mandela8
- Emma Roberts
- Sound City
Preparing for Work Award
This award is to celebrate the impact culture and creativity has on developing technical, transferable and life skills in preparing young people for the world of work.
The finalists are:
- A Place for Us CIC
- Agent Academy and University of Liverpool
- Future Yard
- Write to Work Programme (Writing on the Wall)
Business in the Arts Award
This award is to celebrate businesses that make a significant contribution to economic growth within the arts, culture and creativity sector.
The finalists are:
- Andy Dockerty
- Daniel Davies – Rockpoint Leisure
- Make CIC
Borough of Culture ‘Star of the Year’
This award is to celebrate a shining star from the Liverpool City Region’s 2022 Borough of Culture, Knowsley.
The finalists are:
- Bev Ayre – Creative Producer Knowsley Borough of Culture
- Knowsley Borough of Culture Volunteers
- Tina Ball
Judges Inspiration Award – Outstanding Achievement
This award is to celebrate and recognise an individual’s outstanding creative contribution to the Liverpool City Region. This award has been decided by the judging panel and will be revealed at the award ceremony.