Two national awards for the arts to be proposed by the public

The public is invited to nominate artists for awards in two categories as part of the Arts Council’s initiative to recognise people and organisations who work in the creative sector

Oliver Friggieri (left) won the Life Time Achievement Award in last year's edition
Oliver Friggieri (left) won the Life Time Achievement Award in last year's edition

People can now nominate artists for two categoriess as part of the Arts Council’s initiative to award people and groups that have contributed to Malta’s cultural and creative sectors.

Nominations for the second edition of the national awards known as Il-Premju għall-Arti, will close on Friday, 7 December.

Il-Premju għall-Arti is Malta's most prestigious award acknowledging excellence in artistic work exhibited during a calendar year.

A new initiative launched this year will see the public nominating productions for the Audience's Choice Award and nominees for the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The announcement of the nominees will take place in February 2019 and the official awards ceremony will be held in April 2019.

Ray Calleja, Cultural Programmes Manager at the Arts Council said nominations for these two awards will be made by the public and evaluated by the board of evaluators.

A maximum of five nominees will be selected for the Audience Choice Award and the public will once again be asked to choose the winner by voting. The Lifetime Achievement Award winner will be announced during the award ceremony.

Last year the Audience Choice Award went to the Malta Amateur Dramatic Club (MADC) for their production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.

The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Oliver Friggieri.

"Although still in its infancy, the Arts Awards have already gained momentum and prestige within the Maltese arts and cultural community. Recognising and awarding excellence is a healthy competitive motivator for the cultural industry, not just for artists but also to the public. This is one of the reasons for inviting the public to contribute towards the nomination process," Calleja said.

More information about the Il-Premju għall-Arti 2019 can be found at: https://www.artscouncilmalta.org/funds/il-premju-ghall-arti-2019

Nominations are being accepted online until 7 December.