THE VISIONARY ARTS AWARDS 2023
hosted by Scarlette Douglas
FILM | TV | MUSIC | THEATRE | BOOKS | PODCAST | CULTURE
SHORTLIST AND SPECIAL HONOURS LIST ANNOUNCED
Supermodel Naomi Campbell to receive The Visionary Legacy Honour
Tuesday 21st March @ Ham Yard Hotel, Soho
The Visionary Arts Foundation is delighted to announce the fourth annual Visionary Arts Awards shortlist on Tuesday 21st, March at London’s Ham Yard Hotel, hosted by TV presenter and 2022’s ‘I’m A Celebrity’ alumni Scarlette Douglas. Diversity, equality, inclusion, personal well-being, and social impact are celebrated in the shortlists for this year’s awards, which support the charity, Show Racism The Red Card.
Nominations in the 11 award categories were made by our industry judges & editorial team. The prestigious Visionary Legacy Honour was awarded to Naomi Campbell for her illustrious career in fashion and as an activist spanning over four decades. The nominees include Stacey Dooley, Fearne Cotton, Judi Love, Rio Ferdinand and Sir Mo Farah.
The public will vote via https://visionaryarts.org.uk/awards/vote/, with voting closing on 12th March.
From books that are breaking down mental health stigmas to television shows inspiring self-love and positivity, films and documentaries that ignite and inspire generations to come to theatre show about male bonding and group therapy to songs that are brimming with hope and a social message to be heard – these awards offer a vital. a platform for underrepresented voices that are culturally impacting the UK today.
Spanning across culture, media and entertainment, The Visionary Arts Awards is not just about rewarding talent but primarily about highlighting their work’s social impact and the inspiration it will give the next generation of creatives to make their own mark in the arts and communities beyond.
Founder of the awards, musical theatre Producer Adrian Grant commented:
“The Visionary Arts Foundation believe that entertainment and media have the power to change the world and voices of all cultures, creed, gender, sexuality, and ability should be heard, seen and respected. Through the Visionary Arts Foundation, our goal is to open doors and provide opportunities for young creatives and inspire them to produce work that can influence positive social change.”
NOMINATIONS
BOOK OF THE YEAR
- The Last White Man – Mohsin Hamid
- Glory – NoViolet Bulawayo
- A Visible Man – Edward Enninful
- The Climate Book – Greta Thunberg
- None Of The Above – Travis Alabanza
- Are You Really Ok? Understanding Britain’s Mental Health Emergency – Stacey Dooley
PODCAST OF THE YEAR
- TwoTwo’s Podcast
- TTime Podcast
- Chinese Chippy Girl
- Media Storm Podcast
- Assata’s Chant and Other Histories
- Happy Place by Fearne Cotton
MUSICAL/PLAY OF THE YEAR
- Prima Facie – Harold Pinter Theatre
- Antigone – Regents Park Theatre
- Orlando – Garrick Theatre
- A-Typical Rainbow – The Turbine Theatre
- Small Island – National Theatre
- For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy – Royal Court Theatre
DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
- Big Oil vs The World – BBC2/Mongoose Pictures
- Aids: The Unheard Tapes – BBC2/Wall To Wall
- The Real Mo Farah – BBC1/Atomized/Red Bull
- Stutz: Jonah Hill – Netflix
- Judi Love: Black, Female & Invisible – Channel 4
- Tipping Point: Rio Ferdinand – Amazon Prime
TELEVISION SHOW OF THE YEAR
- Heartstopper – Netflix
- Life & Rhymes – Sky Arts
- The Walk In – ITV
- Then Barbara Met Alan – BBC2
- I Am Ruth – Channel 4
- Ms. Marvel – Disney
TELEVISION ADVERT OF THE YEAR
- Virgin Atlantic – See The World Differently
- Absolut – The World Of Absolut Cocktails. Born To Mix
- The Woolmark Company – Wear Wool, Not Fossil Fuel
- Nivea – Strength In Numbers
FILM OF THE YEAR
- Bros – Nicholas Stoller
- Happening – Audrey Diwan
- The Silent Twins – Agnieszka Smoczynska
- The Woman King – Gina Prince-Bythewood
- Till – Chinonye Chukwu
- She Said – Maria Schrader
SONG OF THE YEAR
- FUBU – Kojey Radical
- Anxiety – Miraa May
- Brighter Days – Emeli Sandé
- Irrelevant – Pink
- This Hell – Rina Sawayama
- Serotonin – Tom Walker
—
Vanessa Nakate, climate justice activist
INSPIRATIONAL PERSON OF THE YEAR
- Lizzo
- Martin Lewis
- Chloe Kelly
- Vanessa Nakate
COMMUNITY PERSON OF THE YEAR
- Onyinye Udokporo
- Shani Dhanda
- Kwajo Tweneboa
- Matthew Hodson
LEGACY HONOUR – Naomi Campbell
QUOTES FROM SOME OF THIS YEAR’S NOMINEES:
“I’m absolutely delighted that ‘Are You Really Okay?’ has been shortlisted for this year’s Visionary Honours Book of the Year Award. It was such an eye-opening experience to write this book, and I really hope it’s helped educate readers on the mental health crisis that we face in the UK today.”
STACEY DOOLEY
‘It’s a great honour to be nominated for Best Documentary at the Visionary Awards 2023. The Real Mo Farah was a challenging film for me and my family to make, and it would never have happened at all without the brilliant team from Atomized Studios, who were there every step of the way. We also had amazing support from Red Bull Studios and the BBC throughout a long and difficult production period. But we kept going because this film was never about me and my real story. It was about all the children who have been trafficked around the world and used as domestic servants against their will. I hope this nomination helps to highlight and combat that often overlooked practice. Thank you’
SIR MO FARAH
‘I was honoured to work with Douglas Road and present this insightful documentary. As a black woman, I have faced many difficult situations and often questioned if it was due to the colour of my skin or because I was a woman. As time went by, I’m discovering that many other black women felt the same. It’s one thing to have my own personal experiences but what I realised is that this didn’t prepare me for the shock and sadness I felt by the stark figures that highlighted and confirmed the barriers that we face as Black women which is named misogynoir. The beauty of ‘Black, Female and Invisible’ is that we knew it was imperative to also highlight the wonderful Queens who are championing others and winning – despite the odds.’
JUDI LOVE
“It is an honour to be shortlisted for this award. It is quite strange to think of myself as an inspirational person. Growing up, I was really shy and never spoke out if I didn’t have to. It was when I started to understand the injustice of the climate crisis that I found my voice. But we need to inspire many more people of all ages and in all parts of the world to demand more action from our leaders on the climate crisis.”
VANESSA NAKATE – CLIMATE JUSTICE ACTIVIST
“I am deeply touched and honoured to be nominated for this award. This play started its life as scribblings in my garden shed during the pandemic and made it all the way to London. I can’t wait to see what other work autistic people such as myself create and hope always for greater access for disabled people in the arts.”
A TYPICAL RAINBOW (JJ GREEN)
“The UK is in such a hostile period towards trans people, and in writing the book, I hoped to create a piece of literature that archived our voices amongst the noise. It means a lot for this work to be recognised for this impact; thank you!” TRAVIS ALABANZA
“Tackling the outdated understanding of HIV is what drives me. I am beyond thrilled to be nominated for the Visionary Honours and grateful for the opportunity to share stigma-challenging information, such as the knowledge that effective HIV treatment means there is no risk of passing HIV on during sex.”
MATTHEW HODSON
MISSION
The Visionary Arts Foundation advocates social change and debate created through culture, media and entertainment.
We support young adults using artistic platforms such as music, film, theatre, literature and digital media as the soundboard for discussion and raising awareness across social issues from better Inclusion, Diversity, Equality and Mental Health to Climate Crisis and Anti-Social Behaviour.
Our Visionary Impact Programme provides mentoring and bursaries for grass root creatives aged 18 to 29 who may just be starting out in the arts – either via the media and entertainment industries or in education with the desire to be a writer, producer, director, blogger or performer.
THE JUDGES
- Be Manzini Poet, Filmmaker & Spoken Word Artist
- Boyd Hilton Journalist, Author, Critic & Broadcaster
- Guy Lodge Film Critic
- Leanne Alie Podcast Producer, Presenter & Consultant
- Emily Jupp Arts & Culture Journalist, Editor & Playwright
- Rhianna Dhillon Film Critic & Presenter
- Joanna Abeyie Journalist, Broadcaster and Diversity & Inclusion Specialist
- Paul Taylor-Mills Artistic Director at Turbine Theatre, Writer & Producer
- Ashanti Omkar Film & TV Critic & Broadcaster
- Jasmine Dotiwala Producer, Broadcaster & Columnist.