Culture Burnley Awards: New awards shine spotlight on town’s cultural talent

The Culture Burnley Awards is being run by Burnley Leisure and Culture, which promotes a host of cultural, heritage, and entertainment events and activities in the borough, particularly at the Burnley Mechanics Theatre.

Nominees must be Burnley-based or have delivered work of significant impact in the borough between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2024.

The wide-ranging criteria – which is divided into eight categories – covers heritage, visual arts, music and singing, theatre, performance, dance, film and broadcast, literature, digital art, photography, craft and creativity, cultural education, and ‘behind the scenes’ roles such as production and direction.

BLC’s cultural manager Charlotte Steels said the awards would provide a high-profile platform to celebrate the very best the borough has to offer. “Venues, organisations and individuals across Burnley have been delivering excellent cultural events, projects and activities for years.

“Traditionally, we’re not good at celebrating our success, or shouting about our achievements. Whether large organisations, or individuals from the community who are volunteering their time, we have some wonderfully dedicated and talented people who deserve recognition. The awards will be a high-profile platform to showcase and celebrate the very best the borough has to offer as we plan for Burnley’s Year of Culture in 2027.”

Nominations are open until June 22nd, and the awards night will take place at the Mechanics on Thursday, September 5. The awards are free to enter, and the eight categories and eligibility criteria are as follows:

Youth award – for outstanding 13 to 25-year-olds who show significant talent and potential within any of the cultural and creative sectors.Talent promotion – for behind-the-scenes role models, giving their time and energy (paid or unpaid), to teach and support others to develop their cultural and creative skills.Cultural partnership – to recognise outstanding collaborations between the culture and any other sector(s) such as education, commercial, leisure and health that are delivering cultural projects, events or activities.Community award – for individuals, groups or organisations actively working to support communities to help them to overcome barriers via cultural and creative activities.Event award – recognising an outstanding cultural festival, performance or event in any discipline that has taken place between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2024.Independent creative award – for individuals in any field who are creating excellent, original work and/or supporting and influencing the development of culture in the borough.Cultural organisation – for organisations of any size delivering inspirational and innovative activity. This includes museums, galleries, dance schools, music schools, heritage organisations, educational establishments and more.Volunteer award – recognising the valuable contribution of those who volunteer their time to support or deliver cultural experiences. Open to any age and any discipline.

Anyone interested in sponsoring the event, or any of the award categories, should contact Charlotte Steels: [email protected]. To enter, and for tips on nominating and a list of FAQs, visit the awards page of the Burnley Leisure Culture website.