Liverpool City Region culture awards shortlist announced

The finalists have been announced in the 2025 Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards.

This year’s competition attracted 600 nominations, with 54 organisations and individuals being shortlisted across 15 categories.

The awards ceremony will take place at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton (pictured) in March, hosted by Radio Merseyside’s Billy Hui.

The hotly contested awards include Artist/Creative of the Year, Arts Organisation of the Year, Inspirational Young Person and Borough of Culture ‘Star of the Year’ along with People’s Choice for Outstanding Contribution to Culture which is chosen by public vote.

The annual awards, now in their sixth year, are organised by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority as part of Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s 1% for Culture pledge and aim to celebrate the individuals and organisations whose work contributes to the region’s thriving cultural and creative ecosystem.

Winners are chosen by an independent judging panel based on the quality of their work.

The finalists are:

Artist/Creative of the Year: Adam Thompson, Anoosh AriaMehr, John McHugh and Tess Gilmartin.

Arts Organisation of the Year: Convenience Gallery CIC, Liverpool Sound City, Make CIC and Open Eye Gallery.

Borough of Culture ‘Star of the Year’ (Wirral): Andrew Shaw and Ryan Guage at Convenience Gallery CIC, Beci Hughes, Kemal Houghton and New Brighton Arts Festival.

Business in the Arts Awards: Andrew Brown, Focal Studios and One Fell Swoop.

Community Cohesion Award: At the Library, Café Laziz, The Flower Streets Mural Project and Tiber Young Producers Project – The Threads that Bind Us.

Environmental Award: The Builder Book Planet Pack Project, Future Yard CIC, Green Bibliofest – Kirsten Hume and Open Eye Gallery.

Health and Wellbeing Award: Alder Hey – Hearts for Health Programme, Heart of Glass – The Suicide Chronicles, Liverpool Philharmonic Music and Health Programme, Ascent Autism Specialist College and Wellbeing Enterprises CIC: We Connect Social Proscribing.

Improving Education and Learning Award: Enterprise Education in Secondary Schools Programme (Richard Leighton), Green Bibliofest – Kirsten Hume, Liverpool Sound City, Strawberry Field and The Builder Book Planet Pack Project.

Innovation Award: Butters Innovation Limited, Merseyside Expanding Horizons and Wellbeing Enterprises CIC: Complete Care Community Project.

Innovator of the Year: Carl Grainger, Denise Jones and Omar Khaled.

Inspirational Young Person Award: Jake Glannon and Khalil Aydemir.

International Reach Award: DaDa – Disability and Deaf Arts, Francesco Carrero – Luma Creations, Liverpool Sound City and The Anfield Wrap.

Preparing for Work Award: AJP Ltd, SpringPod and the University of Liverpool, Ascent Autism Specialist College and Care Leavers into Careers (CLIC).

Judges’ Inspiration Award – Outstanding Achievement: winner revealed on the evening.

People’s Choice Award - Outstanding Contribution to Cuture: DaDa, Karen Yates at Salt and Tar, Shakespeare North Playhouse, The Bluecoat, The Flowers Street Mural Project and Writing on the Wall.