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Arts & Business NI Awards 2021,in partnership with Forestside, are open!
Our Awards celebrate the best examples of arts and business creative partnerships and the outstanding achievements of these collaborations throughout Northern Ireland.
Arts & Business NI are encouraging entries for business and arts partnerships which took place between 1st September 2019 – 31st March 2021.
Launching the Awards were Lee Cutler, Centre Manager, Forestside and Mary Nagele, Chief Executive, Arts & Business NI (photo credit: Aaron McCracken).
Forestside have just been announced as the new headline sponsor for the Arts & Business NI Awards, following on from Allianz, who kindly supported this flagship event for 14 years. You can read full details on this exciting announcement here.
Digital submission forms are now open, and can be accessed and completed below.
Deadline for form completion is 12 noon, Friday 16th April 2021.
Creative Community Engagement Award
Awarded to a partnership where the business used the power of the arts to forge dynamic new connections with their community.
Staff Engagement Award
Awarded to an organisation that prioritised connecting and uplifting its staff by harnessing the power of the arts.
Staff Family Engagement Award
Awarded to an organisation that prioritised connecting and uplifting its staff and their families by harnessing the power of the arts.
Mental Health & Wellbeing Award
This award celebrates a creative partnership which successfully supported good mental health and wellbeing.
Staff Skill-Building Award
Awarded to a partnership in which the business harnessed the power of the arts to strategically and creatively build the professional skills of their staff.
Brand Storytelling Award
Awarded to a partnership that engaged the arts to strategically and creatively communicate the organisations’ brand and story, thus enabling them to creatively connect with their target markets.
New Sponsor Award
Awarded to a business that has developed a new partnership with the arts to creatively meet its business objectives.
Inspirational Trustee Award
Inspirational Trustee is awarded to an individual who, in a voluntary capacity, has added outstanding benefit to an arts organisation in a governance role, perhaps through a formal professional development placement such as Board Bank or Young Professionals on Arts Boards.
Seven awards are open for entry above, with six additional awards being presented on the evening for the following categories.
- Forestside Award: a financial investment awarded to an arts practitioner/organisation to facilitate production of a creative outcome.
- A&BNI Choice: Most Creative Response/Adaptation to Pandemic: awarded to an agile arts organisation who took the challenges of COVID-19 and used then to strategically adapt or inform their work, ultimately continuing to stay true to their purpose/mission.
- Arts Innovator Award: this award showcases a pioneering arts practitioner, who brought a particularly unique and inventive approach to their work during 2020.
- Above & Beyond Award: awarded to an individual in the business sector who has not only actively engaged with the arts sector, but gone above the call of duty to assist arts organisations/practitioners in 2020
- Arts Organisation of the Year: worth £3,000 is presented to a local arts organisation which has consistently sought to develop and pioneer new ideas, whilst demonstrating a progressive and creative approach to business partnership.
Business of the Year Award: awarded to a business that has excelled through integrating Arts & Culture through different facets of its business strategy.
In light of COVID-19 restrictions, the Arts & Business Awards 2021 will take place as a virtual ceremony in June 2021. Further details will be released in the coming months.
Our Funders & Partners
Arts & Business NI is generously supported by The Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
