Enter The Journal's Culture Awards 2009

Jan 4 2010 By The Journal

NOMINATIONS are closed for this year's Culture Awards in association with the Arts Council. A shortlist of finalists will be published in The Journal and on JournalLive in due course.

The Culture Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of arts and cultural organisations, projects and individuals across the North East, who have contributed to the thriving and vibrant region we live in.

The Awards will celebrate artistic and cultural activity, covering a wide spectrum from the arts to museums, heritage to cultural events and performances.

Awards Categories

The category criteria are as follows:

Visual Artist of the Year
This award is to recognise any North East based artist who you have seen in 2009 and has made a lasting impression on you.  This nomination could be for one particular piece of an individual’s work or an exhibition/showcase of their talents.

Performance of the Year
This award is to recognise a group or company who you have seen or heard in 2009.  Has a performance in the North East raised the hairs on the back of your neck, moved or inspired you?  If the answer is yes we want to hear about it.  Examples could include dance, music, stage/theatre productions.

Performing Artist of the Year
This award will recognise an individual performer who has stood out during 2009. We’re welcoming nominations for actors, dancers, musicians, singers and comedians. Nominations can be for one stand out performance which got your attention or for a collection of performances throughout the year.

Newcomer of the Year
This award is to recognise any North East based writer, artist, performer or visual artist who has exhibited, performed or been brought to the publics attention for the first time during 2009.

Writer of the Year
This award will recognise an author, playwright or poet who has had work published or performed during 2009.

Renaissance North East: Museum Award
This award recognises innovative and excellent interpretation in a project developed by an accredited North East Museum or Gallery in the last year. In particular, judges will be looking for projects that reveal collections in a new light and inspire and delight visitors.

Arts Council Award
The Arts Council Award will be awarded to an artist or organization based or working in the North East who has produced a truly excellent piece of work in the last year. A piece of work that continues to inspire, influencing other artists and audiences and spurring them on to unleash the creativity in themselves; a piece of work that equals and surpasses work taking place nationally and internationally.

Best Arts & Business Partnership
This award is to recognise an outstanding business/arts partnership, which has demonstrated an innovative way of working together to achieve their respective goals.

Best Event
Have you been to a locally organized event in 2009, which made you proud of the local area? This award recognizes large and small events within the following sub-regions: Tees Valley, Sunderland, Durham, Tyneside, Northumberland. Any event in these areas we want to hear about.

Any event, exhibition, performance or activity taking place between January 1st 2009 and December 31st 2009 is eligible for nomination in the Culture Awards.

The closing date for entries was Thursday 31st December 2009.