The finalists in the running for the top spots at this year's prestigious Manchester Culture Awards have been announced ahead of the highly anticipated award ceremony which takes place this weekend on Saturday 14 November.
Now in their ninth year, the annual awards were launched by the city council in 2018 to recognise the very best of culture, creativity and the arts in Manchester, from the grassroots up.
The awards celebrate individuals, events and organisations big and small that together help make Manchester the vibrant and exciting place for culture and the arts it is - and at the same time help bolster the city's standing and reputation around the world as a city of culture.
This year's awards invited nominations across eleven different categories from members of the public, arts professionals, the voluntary and community sector and anyone else with an interest in culture and the arts.
Over 400 nominations were received across the different award categories, with awards up for grabs including the Young Creative of the Year, Best Performance, Best Exhibition, and Best Event, as well other award categories that shine a spotlight on themes such as health and wellbeing, equality and social justice, and climate change.
New also for this year is an award for Outstanding Story-telling -recognising the creation of compelling and relevant stories through word, film, digital media or other cultural forms.
All nominations made had to relate to activity that had taken place between April 2025 and March this year, with nominees either based in Manchester or having a strong track record of delivering activity for the benefit of people who live in or visit the city, or that benefits the local economy.
This year once again also sees a special additional award made in partnership with the Manchester Evening News, with the winner voted for by its readers. The Cultural Welcome Award will be presented to an organisation or venue that provides a great welcome to everyone - their audience members, visitors, and participants.
Councillor Shazia Butt, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure, and Libraries, Manchester City Council, said: "Our annual awards are a reminder of just how much talent and creativity there is in Manchester and give us the chance both to celebrate the individuals and organisations that help make Manchester such an incredible place for culture, and to shine a light on the very best of culture and the arts in the city over the last year.
"All our finalists are exceptional, and we couldn't be prouder of them and their contribution in helping make Manchester such a brilliant creative city with so much going on for people from all backgrounds to get involved in and enjoy - and a place that people of all ages want to live, work and visit."
The 2026 Manchester Culture Award finalists are:
Bright Spark: Young Creative of the Year
Demereece Green
Marques Jones
Sam Wright
Excellence in Creative Health and Wellbeing
Mindgames - SICK! Productions
Home from HOME – HOME
The Creative Drop In – The Horsfall, 42nd Street
Man Made Men – Contact Theatre
Champions of Equality and Social Justice
Our Queer Future - LGBT Foundation
Deaf Digital Productions - Reform Radio CIC and Bolton Deaf Society
ANEW Way to Peel an Orange - Castlefield Gallery, Portraits of Recovery and ANEW
Black in the Game - National Football Museum
Our Planet: Acting on Climate Change
The Power Hall - Science and Industry Museum
EarthSonic Live at Manchester Museum - In Place of War and Manchester Museum
The Herds - Factory International and The Walk Productions
Remember Nature Manchester 2025, Nature Remembered - Castlefield Gallery
Igniting Creativity: Culture, Education and Talent Development
Facilitate - Z-arts
Mindgames - SICK! Productions
Artworks in Schools - Manchester Art Gallery
Hope Mill Theatre
Making It Happen: Best Business Partnership
Odd Arts and Corporate Development Committee
Venture Arts and Shelia Bird Studio
Factory International, AVIVA and Manchester City Council
Cheetham Cultural Festival and The Fort Shopping Centre
The Best Event
The Success of Moss Side - SNE Studios
Manchester Jazz Festival 2025
Balkan Erotic Epic – Factory International and Marina Abramović
Music for the Senses – Wild in Art
The Best Performance
ROAD - Royal Exchange Theatre
The Home We Made – HOME
Philharmonia Orchestra with Alisa Weilerstein - The Bridgewater Hall
The Halle Presents: Honey Djion - The Halle Orchestra and Honey Djion
The Best Exhibition
The Beginning of Knowledge - Santiago Yahuarcani at The Whitworth
Adventures in Wonderland - Z-arts
Recoverist Curators: Reimagining the World We Live In - Portraits of Recovery and The Whitworth
Roots in the Sky – HOME
Independent Creative of the Year
Joshua Wilkinson
Hawwa Alam
Michael Beard
Sam Edwards
Outstanding Storytelling
40 Years of HIV Activism: The Movie - George House Trust
BLOOM – From the Other with AFRODEUTSCHE, The Hallé, Beladonis, Company Chameleon
The Corinthians: We Were the Champions - Films Not Words
There's a Lot I Haven't Asked Podcast – Hannah Donelon
The Marcus Rashford Wall of Hope: An Educational Resource – Manchester Libraries and Withington Walls
LIBERATION – Royal Exchange Theatre
The Cultural Welcome Award in association with the Manchester Evening News
Gobefest - Beat Bazaar
The Circus House
The Edge Theatre and Arts Centre
Hope Mill Theatre
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The winners of this year's Manchester Culture Awards will be announced this weekend at a ceremony hosted by Manchester-based composer, DJ, broadcaster and cultural leader AFRODEUTSCHE whose work effortlessly connects electronic music, orchestral composition and contemporary storytelling and whose distinctive sound has earned her an international reputation.