New awards shining light on city culture

A NEW awards ceremony will take place this autumn in Manchester to recognise the best cultural events held in the city over the last year.

The Manchester Culture Awards – to be held on November 14 – have been established by the council in recognition of the city’s growing worldwide reputation for is cultural scene that contributes greatly to the economy, as well as helping make the city a vibrant place to live and work in.

In 2016/17, Manchester’s cultural organisations generated an estimated economic impact of £134.2m, through employment, contracts and attracting visitors.

The new awards will have 12 categories, including best event, young creative of the year, and promotion of health and wellbeing.

There will also be a chance for members of the public to join in with the awards and vote for their own cultural winner through the Manchester People’s Culture Award – a special prize in association with the M.E.N.

Nominees for each of the awards must be based in the city or have a track record of delivering activity for the benefit of the people who live in or visit the city, or that benefits the local economy.

Nominations will be assessed by a judging panel of cultural industry experts.

Coun Luthfur Rahman, executive member for school, culture and leisure, said: “Manchester recognises that culture is not an optional extra but something which delivers real social and economic benefits – a key part of what makes this a great city.”