Nominations are open for the Manchester Culture Awards 2026, with artists, venues, organisations, community groups and members of the public invited to put forward the city’s cultural standouts before midnight on Sunday 21 June.
The awards ceremony will take place on Saturday 14 November at the Manchester Deansgate Hotel. A start time and ticket or price details have not been listed in the source information. The awards are aimed at Manchester’s creative and cultural sector, as well as residents who want to recognise work that has shaped cultural life in the city over the past year.
| Detail | Confirmed information |
|---|---|
| Event | Manchester Culture Awards 2026 |
| Ceremony date | Saturday 14 November 2026 |
| Venue | Manchester Deansgate Hotel |
| Start time | Not listed |
| Cost | Not listed |
| Nominations close | Midnight on Sunday 21 June 2026 |
| Organiser | Manchester City Council |
Twelve categories cover events, performances and new storytelling work
The Manchester Culture Awards were launched by Manchester City Council in 2018 to recognise the city’s growing cultural and arts scene, including people whose work often happens away from the stage or gallery wall.
This year’s nominations cover 12 categories, including Best Event, Best Performance, Best Exhibition, Young Creative of the Year and the Independent Creative Award. A new Outstanding Storytelling Award has also been added for 2026, recognising compelling and relevant stories created through word, film, digital media or other cultural forms.
The Cultural Welcome Award returns in partnership with the Manchester Evening News. It will recognise an organisation or venue that provides a strong welcome to audience members, visitors or participants, with the winner chosen by public vote.
Special Recognition Awards will also be made by judges at the ceremony for long-term contributions to culture. Previous recipients include poet Lemn Sissay, former Hallé Music Director Sir Mark Elder, DJ Paulette, Abasindi Black Women’s Co-operative and former Manchester Jewish Museum chief executive Gareth Redston.
Who can be nominated before the June deadline
Nominees must either be based in the city of Manchester or have a strong track record of delivering activity that benefits people who live in or visit the city, or supports the local economy.
Nominations are open across the professional, amateur and community sectors. Members of the public can also submit nominations, giving residents a route to recognise smaller organisations, independent creatives and local cultural work that may not always receive wider attention.
Most nominations must relate to activity that took place between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. The exception is the Cultural Welcome Award, which recognises achievement over a number of years.
Eligible cultural areas include visual art, music, theatre, performance, dance, film and broadcast media, literature, digital art, photography, craft and heritage arts.
Manchester’s creative year in the spotlight
More than 400 nominations were received last year, covering events, individuals and organisations of different sizes across the city. The 2026 awards again place community-led work beside major cultural institutions, with categories spanning health and wellbeing, equality and social justice, climate action, education, business partnerships and creative talent development.
Councillor Shazia Butt, Executive Member for Culture, Libraries and Leisure at Manchester City Council, said culture and creativity play a major role in making Manchester “the vibrant and exciting place it is”, adding that the city’s diverse creative communities are central to its cultural reputation.
She said the council was looking forward to hearing who residents believe deserves recognition this year.
Nominations remain open until midnight on 21 June
The full category list includes Bright Spark: Young Creative of the Year, Excellence in Creative Health and Wellbeing, Champions of Equality and Social Justice, Our Planet: Action on Climate Change, Igniting Creativity: Culture, Education and Talent Development, Making it Happen: Best Business Partnership, The Best Event, The Best Performance, The Best Exhibition, Independent Creative Award, Outstanding Storytelling and The Cultural Welcome Award.
Nominations for the Manchester Culture Awards 2026 are open until midnight on Sunday 21 June, ahead of the awards ceremony at Manchester Deansgate Hotel on Saturday 14 November.
Source: Manchester City Council
Source check Source trail
This preview uses the event date, venue, nomination window and category details provided in the Manchester City Council source text.
- Confirmed the ceremony date as Saturday 14 November 2026.
- Confirmed the venue as Manchester Deansgate Hotel.
- Checked that nominations close at midnight on Sunday 21 June 2026.
- Separated missing details, including start time and price, from confirmed information.
- Source
- Manchester City Council
- Scope
- Manchester
- Updated
- 2026-06-01 18:56
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