South Bank Sky Arts Awards TX: 30 January at 9.30pm on Sky Arts 1 HD

Jude Law, Darcey Bussell, Paul Abbott, Lenny Henry, Lady Antonia Fraser, Gavin Turk and Danielle De Niese areamong the names confirmed to present awards at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards which will be held on Monday 27 January at The Dorchester Hotel, London.

The winners this year will receive a newly designed trophy created by artist Sir Peter Blake. The awards are one of the world’s most coveted arts awards, with the presenters joining Melvyn Bragg to honour the best of British culture and achievement across the arts. Each category - visual art, theatre, opera, dance, comedy, classical music, pop, TV drama, literature and film – is traditionally presented by a celebrated talent within that field.

The Times Breakthrough Award, which honours the best new artistic talent, will return for 2014. This year it will be presented by director and Python Terry Gilliam.

The winners of the Sky Academy Arts Scholarships will also be announced at the awards. The Scholarships support young up-and-coming artists, providing funding, alongside senior mentoring to help develop their skills, and take their work to the next level. Sky awards five £30,000 bursaries every year, as well as providing mentors from Sky and the arts industry.

The presenters of the award for Outstanding Achievement, in association with The Dorchester, and for Film are still to be confirmed.

The awards will also see performances by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Dame Evelyn Glennie and Imelda May to an audience of 300 guests from across the arts. 

SOUTH BANK SKY ARTS AWARDS: CONFIRMED PRESENTERS

Dame Evelyn Glennie: Classical Music

Darcey Bussell: Dance

TBC Film

Lenny Henry: Comedy

Lady Antonia Fraser: Literature

Gavin Turk: Visual Art

Paul Abbott: TV Drama

Terry Gilliam: The Times Breakthrough Award

Danielle De Niese: Opera

Jude Law: Theatre

TBC The Dorchester Award for Outstanding Achievement

Outstanding Achievement in association with The Dorchester: To be announced on the day

For further information on the nominees, please visit www.sky.com/southbank

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT

Katherine Solomon PR Manager, Sky Press Office

T: 0207 032 0599

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NOTES TO EDITOR

South Bank Show

The South Bank Sky Arts Awards (Previously the South Bank Show Awards) are now in their 16^th year and are still the only awards ceremony in the world that represent the entire spectrum of British arts, from visual arts to opera, television drama to dance, film to literature. In addition to the 10 main categories, there are also two special awards: The Times Breakthrough Award, voted for by Times readers, which recognises up and coming talent across the arts, and The Dorchester Outstanding Achievement Award which celebrates an individual's extraordinary contribution to the arts.

The awards, which are presented by Melvyn Bragg at The Dorchester, always attract an eclectic mix of people. Previous attendees include Ronnie Wood, J K Rowling, Sir Ian McKellen, Darcey Bussell, Dame Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Sir Tom Stoppard, Rachel Weisz, Russell Brand,, Damien Hirst, and Sir Richard Attenborough.

Previous winners include Arctic Monkeys, Sir Cameron Macintosh, Peter Grimes, Elbow, Sherlock and Amy Winehouse.

Sky Academy

Sky Academy is a unique and ground-breaking set of initiatives that uses the power of television, creativity and sport to inspire young people and help them reach their potential. Sky Academy will make the most of our strengths in media and technology as well as the passion and expertise of our people. And it will link up with schools and other organisations and work with inspirational role models from the world of TV, sport and the arts.

Head-quartered in a brand new building at the heart of the West London campus, Sky Academy will comprise initially of four initiatives: Sky Academy Skills Studio, Sky Sports Living for Sport, Sky Academy Scholarships and Sky Academy Starting Out. A fifth, built around creativity and the arts, will follow in 2014. Together, these initiatives will create opportunities for under-25s across Britain and Ireland and bring more of this generation into Sky to build their skills and gain valuable experience.