Creative Times

Urbis announce The Best of Manchester awards 2009

Published 16.12.08

The Best of Manchester Awards 2009 are back. The annual awards that celebrate innovation in art, music and fashion are already gearing up for a third successful year – and today Urbis confirms the dates of one of 2009’s most important creative awards.

The Best of Manchester Awards are organised by Urbis and, each year, are presided over by a panel of industry experts. Already for 2009, Peter Saville, Luke Bainbridge, Wayne Hemingway, Yvette Livesey and Miranda Sawyer have agreed to judge the awards, while confirmed partners include Harvey Nichols Manchester, Flux Magazine and Computer Arts.

The Awards aim to showcase the most innovative creative work by the best creative professionals working in Manchester today. Anyone working within the fields of music, art and fashion – and who lives or works in Greater Manchester - can enter. Winners each receive a £2,000 cash prize, the chance to have their work shown at Urbis and a tailored professional development package that will help them fast track their career or business.

• The Best of Manchester Awards 2009 competition runs from 16 February – 30 April 2009. • The winners will be announced live at an awards ceremony at Urbis on 23 July 2009. • The Best of Manchester Awards 2009 exhibition runs at Urbis from 24 July – 20 September 2009.

‘We are continuing to develop the Awards,’ says Vaughan Allen, Urbis’ Chief Executive, ‘so we’re running a graphic design competition to develop next year’s marketing campaign, for example, and we’re already working with an impressive line-up of judges. This activity will help support not just the Awards but the creative industries in Manchester as a whole – because that’s what The Best of Manchester Awards are really about. We want to recognise, celebrate and nurture creative innovation in the city. We want to do our bit to support the next generation of creative practitioners who will retain Manchester’s place an international beacon for the best music, art and fashion.’

The 2008 awards were a huge success. Winners included fashion boutique, Rags to Bitches, which went on to win a special commendation at the fashion industry’s leading national awards (the Drapers Awards), and artist Naomi Kashiwagi, whose work is currently on display at Cornerhouse as part of the exhibition, The Intertwining Line. Entries for 2008 were up 65% on the previous year, while the panel of 17 judges included Peter Saville, Caroline Elleray (Head of A&R for Universal Music), fashion entrepreneur, David Mallon (The General Store), Luke Bainbridge (Observer Music Monthly), and the broadcaster and critic, Miranda Sawyer.

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For further information, interviews and images, please contact Caroline Ashworth, Head of Marketing & Communications, Urbis, telephone 0161 605 8209, email caroline @urbis.org.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. Urbis

The Best of Manchester Awards are organised by Urbis. Urbis examines, explains and celebrates city life through the experiences and cultures of the people living there. It is about city lives, city voices and city people. With four floors of evolving displays, dedicated to the modern and future city, and an ambitious events programme, Urbis is about covering what’s new, original, and interesting about city life, and covering it first.

The £30m construction and development of Urbis was managed by Manchester City Council Special Projects Team and funded as part of the £42m Manchester Millennium Quarter by the Millennium Commission, the European Regional Development Fund, Manchester City Council and the Department of Local Government, Transport and the Regions (DLTR) and the Northwest Regional Development Agency.

Urbis, Cathedral Gardens, Manchester M4 3BG Open daily 10am-6pm and from July 10-8pm Thursday-Saturday Entry to Urbis is free. 0161 605 8200/www.urbis.org.uk/info@urbis.co.uk