Composer Anna Meredith and choreographers Marc Brew and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui were among the winners at the 2026 Sky Arts Awards, which celebrated achievements across British and Irish arts and culture at a ceremony in London on Tuesday evening.
Meredith won the classical music award for her body of work, while Brew and Cherkaoui took the dance prize for an Accident / a Life, a collaboration described by the awards organisers as fearless in its approach.
The ceremony, held at London’s Roundhouse and hosted by the artist Sir Grayson Perry and singer-songwriter Self Esteem, also recognised Irish National Opera and composer Jennifer Walshe for contemporary opera Mars, which won in the opera category.
A collaboration between Irish National Opera, composer Walshe and librettist Mark O’Connell, the piece sees a group of women astronauts who journey to Mars, only to discover their mission has been subject to a corporate hostile takeover back on Earth.
Also nominated in the opera category were Welsh National Opera’s Peter Grimes and English National Opera’s Dead Man Walking. Nominations for the classical music category also included the Sheffield-based chamber music organisation Music in the Round and Ensemble 360, nominated for the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival, and Chineke! Orchestra, recognised for its 10th-anniversary concerts.
In dance, Brew and Cherkaoui’s an Accident / a Life was nominated alongside Alesandra Seutin’s Mimi’s Shebeen and Oluwaseun Alatise’s AfroDanceBlast. The dance jury was chaired by Sir Alistair Spalding, artistic director and chief executive of Sadler’s Wells, and included former ballerina Darcey Bussell and choreographer Sir Wayne McGregor.
Johnny Marr, who first achieved fame with the Smiths, received the lifetime achievement award for his songwriting and enduring influence on British music. Scottish singer-songwriter Jacob Alon won the popular music award for his debut album In Limerence.
Elsewhere, Andy Goldsworthy’s retrospective Fifty Years, marking five decades of work, won in visual art, while Wendy Erskine took the literature prize for her debut novel The Benefactors.
The Times Breakthrough award went to Nancy Farino for her debut play Fatherland, in which she also performed. Liz Light, founder and general manager of Birmingham’s Stage2 Youth Theatre, received the Arts Hero award in recognition of 38 years spent creating theatre opportunities for young people.
Other winners included Channel 4’s documentary Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, which won the television award.
The evening featured live performances from English National Ballet, Marr, singer Victor Ray and the two hosts.
Phil Edgar-Jones, Sky’s executive director of unscripted originals, said the awards recognised artists whose creativity enriched culture and inspired the next generation. In an increasingly fragmented world, he added, the ability of the arts to bring people together has never been more valuable.
