Sky Arts has announced the winners of its first Sky Arts Awards 2024.

The winners were revealed at a ceremony last night, 17 September 2024, at The Roundhouse in London, and were broadcast live on Sky Arts and Freeview.

The Sky Arts Awards are the only mainstream awards to celebrate all arts disciplines, and replace the long-running South Bank Sky Arts Awards.

In the Theatre category, playwright Ryan Calais Cameron (For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy) won the Theatre Award. He beat nominees that included new West End theatre @sohoplace, and Welsh theatre The Sherman Theatre in Cardiff.

Video: Ryan Calais Cameron wins the Sky Arts Award for Theatre

The lifetime achievement award was won by Melvyn Bragg. The award has also been renamed the Melvyn Bragg Lifetime Achievement Award, in honour of the South Bank Show, who announced last August that he was leaving the show after 46 years.

A new category for the Awards, the Arts Hero Award, which honours unsung, behind-the-scenes heroes who are integral to the industry’s success, was won by Sally Spencer, who is a singer with Ex Cathedra, and a children’s leukaemia nurse at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Hosted by Joe Lycett, live performances during the evening included The Darkness, multi-hyphenate artist Ren, poet Lemn Sissay, and a rock collaboration between AC/DC’s Brian Johnson and guitarist Slash.

Previous winners of the South Bank Sky Arts Awards

Sky Arts Awards 2024 – Full list of winners and nominees

Theatre

@sohoplace (body of work)
Ryan Calais Cameron (body of work) – WINNER
The Sherman Theatre, Cardiff (body of work)

Dance

Boy Blue (body of work) – WINNER
Clod Ensemble for The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady
Michael Keegan-Dolan for How To Be A Dancer in Seventy- two Thousand Easy Lessons

Opera

Welsh National Opera and NoFit State Circus for Death in Venice – WINNER
Royal Opera House for Wozzeck
English National Opera (body of work)

Classical Music

Anoushka Shankar for Chapter II: How Dark it is Before Dawn
James MacMillan for The Cumnock Tryst 2023 – WINNER
Richard Blackford for Songs of Nadia Anjuman

Comedy

Blindboyboatclub for The Blindboy podcast
Fern Brady (body of work) – WINNER
Julia Masli for ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Film

All Of Us Strangers
How To Have Sex – WINNER
Occupied City

Literature

Salman Rushdie for Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder
Paul Murray for The Bee Sting – WINNER
Claire Kilroy for Soldier Sailor

Poetry

Momtaza Mehri for Bad Diaspora Poems – WINNER
Karen McCarthy Woolf and Nathalie Teitler for editing the Mapping the Futureanthology
Jackie Kay for May Day

Popular Music

Cleo Sol (body of work)
Dave & Central Cee for Sprinter
The Last Dinner Party for Prelude to Ecstasy – WINNER

Television

Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland
The Sixth Commandment
Mr Bates vs The Post Office – WINNER

Visual Arts

Lindsey Mendick for Sh*tfaced – WINNER
Soheila Sokhanvari for Rebel Rebel
Steve McQueen for Grenfell

The Times Breakthrough Award

Ben Goldscheider: Classical Music
Ania Magliano: Comedy
Jemima Brown: Dance
Savanah Leaf: Film
Kaliane Bradley: Literature
Aigul Akhmetshina: Opera – WINNER
Ella Frears: Poetry
Kneecap: Popular Music
Adjani Salmon: Television
Ben Weatherill: Theatre
Claudette Johnson: Visual Arts

Melvyn Bragg Lifetime Achievement Award

Melvyn Bragg – WINNER

Arts Hero Award

Graham Johnson
Linda Hogg
Mikei Hall
Sally Spencer – WINNER
Yvonne O’Donovan

Sally Spencer, who is a singer with Ex Cathedra, and a children’s leukaemia nurse at Birmingham Children’s Hospital for nearly 25 years. She was the driving force behind Ex Cathedra’s Singing Medicine project, which she continues to co-lead 20 years later. The project brings singing for wellbeing to children in hospital, including those who are extremely vulnerable in protective isolation. During the pandemic, Sally and the Singing Medicine team created thousands of personalised music videos for children when in-person visits were not possible. Sally brings together her extensive nursing experience with her passion for music to her leadership and compassionate support of the Singing Medicine team enabling them to work in what can be distressing situations, such as delivering singing sessions at end-of-life care. Sally was integral in adapting Singing Medicine to support adults affected by stroke and dementia, making a significant impact in these areas as well.

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Main photo: Sky Arts Awards 2024 - Ryan Calais Cameron wins the Theatre Award (Screenshot)

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