Nominees for 2025 Sky Arts Awards announced

Nominees have been revealed for this year’s Sky Arts Awards, which return to London’s Roundhouse later this month.

Launched last year as a continuation of the South Bank Sky Arts Awards, the event’s categories span classical music, comedy, dance, film, literature, poetry, opera, popular music, television, theatre and visual art.

Phil Edgar-Jones OBE, executive director of unscripted originals at Sky, said: “The Sky Arts Awards remain the only night of the year in which all the arts are recognised at once. Poets and sopranos join actors, writers, dancers and musicians to celebrate the contributions they have made to the sector which not only fuels our economy but brings us joy, empathy and hope. Our independent juries have now assembled across every discipline to shortlist the best of the best and all that remains is for us to reveal the winners in what promises to be an unmissable night at the Roundhouse.”

Theatre nominees include Royal Court artistic director David Byrne for his work revitalising new writing, Jamie Hale for their leadership of CRIPtic Arts in championing disabled artists, and Barnsley-based company LUNG for their verbatim musical The Children’s Inquiry.

Elsewhere, Charli xcx is recognised in the popular music category for her album Brat, alongside Irish group KNEECAP for Fine Art and Lola Young for This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway. In literature, Alan Hollinghurst is nominated for Our Evenings, Gwyneth Lewis for her memoir Nightshade Mother: A Disentangling, and Sally Rooney for her novel Intermezzo.

On screen, Netflix drama Adolescence is shortlisted in the television category, together with BBC’s Mr Loverman and Disney+’s Rivals. Film nominees include Conclave, KNEECAP and Sister Midnight.

Dance nominees are Lost Dog for Ruination, Nederlands Dans Theatre and Complicité for Figures in Extinction, and Stopgap Dance Company for Lived Fiction. In opera, Garsington Opera, Opera North and Sound Voice are all recognised.

Barbara Walker is nominated in visual art for her exhibition and book Being Here, alongside Claudette Johnson for her first public artwork Three Women and Michelle Roberts for her exhibition Red, Blue, Up. The poetry category includes Caleb Femi for The Wickedest, Janetta Otter-Barry for her children’s poetry publishing, and the Roundhouse Poetry Slam.

The Times Breakthrough Award shortlist features visual artist Alex Margo Arden for Safety Curtain, writer Nussaibah Younis for her debut novel Fundamentally, and actor Owen Cooper for his role in Adolescence.

Winners will be announced at the Roundhouse ceremony hosted by Bill Bailey on 16 September, which will be broadcast on Sky Arts, Freeview and NOW.