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

Guests from the arts world in attendance this evening 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. Tonight’s 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.

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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