Sky Arts Awards: Charli XCX, Kneecap and Sally Rooney among nominees | Ents & Arts News

The nominees for this year’s Sky Arts Awards have been announced, with Brat superstar Charli XCX, controversial rap trio Kneecap and contemporary author Sally Rooney all making the cut.

The awards showcase the very best of British and Irish arts and culture, celebrating achievements across all arts, ranging from classical music, film, and poetry to popular music, TV and visual arts.

It’s the second year of the awards show, which builds on the long legacy of the South Bank Sky Arts Awards.

In the popular music category, Charli XCX is nominated for her album Brat, up against Kneecap’s Fine Art and Lola Young’s This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway.

Kneecap make a second appearance in the film category, nominated alongside Rich Peppiatt’s BAFTA-winning biopic Kneecap, political thriller Conclave and Karan Kandhari’s black comedy, Sister Midnight.

The TV category boasts Netflix hit Adolescence, the BBC’s Bernardine Evaristo adaptation Mr Loverman and Disney+ Jilly Cooper romp Rivals.

Making it a double nod for Adolescence, the drama’s young star Owen Cooper is nominated as up-and-coming talent in the Times breakthrough category.

The 15-year-old actor is up against visual artist Alex Margo Alden, for her first solo exhibition, Safety Curtain, and writer Nussaibah Younis for her debut novel, Fundamentally.

Writers Alan Hollinghurst, Gwyneth Lewis and Sally Rooney all have nods in the literature category, for their respective novels Our Evenings, Nightshade Mother: A Disentangling, and Intermezzo.

Meanwhile, in the theatre category, Royal Court Artistic Director David Byrne, founder of CRIPtic Arts Jamie Hale, and Barnsley-based Lung are all nominated.

The lifetime achievement award recipient is yet to be announced.

Phil Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts, said: “The Sky Arts Awards remain the only night of the year in which all the arts are recognised at once.

“Poets and sopranos join actors, writers, dancers and musicians to celebrate the contributions they have made to the sector which not only fuels our economy but brings us joy, empathy and hope.”

The Sky Arts Awards will be held at London’s Roundhouse, on Tuesday 16 September, hosted by comedian Bill Bailey.

Full list of Sky Arts Awards nominees:

Classical Music

Bold Tendencies – Body of work

Errollyn Wallen – Body of work

Manchester Camerata – Body of work

Comedy

Elf Lyons – Horses

Jen Brister – Body of work

Sarah Keyworth – My Eyes Are Up Here

Dance

Lost Dog – Ruination

Nederland Dans Theatre and Complicité – Figures in Extinction

Stopgap Dance Company – Lived Fiction

Film

Conclave

Kneecap

Sister Midnight

Literature

Alan Hollinghurst – Our Evenings

Gwyneth Lewis – Nightshade Mother: A Disentangling

Sally Rooney – Intermezzo

Opera

Garsington Opera – Body of Work

Opera North – Simone Boccanegra

Sound Voice – The Sound Voice Project

Poetry

Caleb Femi – The Wickedest

Janetta Otter-Barry – Body of work

Roundhouse – The Roundhouse Poetry Slam

Popular Music

Charli xcx – Brat

Kneecap – Fine Art

Lola Young – This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway

Television

Adolescence (Netflix)

Mr Loverman (BBC)

Rivals (Disney+)

Theatre

David Byrne – Body of work

Jamie Hale – Body of work

Lung – The Children’s Inquiry

Visual Art

Barbara Walker – Being Here

Claudette Johnson – Three Women

Michelle Roberts – Body of work, including Red Blue Up

The Times Breakthrough Award

Alex Margo Arden (Visual art)

Nussaibah Younis (Literature)

Owen Cooper (TV)