Stonewall 2009 Award Nominees Announced (And You Could Be There To See Them Awarded)
Established to honour those have made a positive contribution toward the fight for lesbian and gay equality in Britain, the Stonewall Awards have become a popular point in any gay activist’s calender, and this year will see Gok Wan take up the presenters role at the 2009′s Stonewall’s Awards ceremony which will be hosted at the V&A on November 5th.
Promising a night of fun and celebration, this evening will also have much longer term benefits, because thanks to the sponsorship of the event by Barclays, with every pound from the evening going towards funding Stonewall’s present and future campaigns, including the hugely successful Education for All programme that has been working hard to tackle the issue of homophobic bullying in schools.
There are 35 shortlisted nominees for the 7 main award categories, and include some very recognisable names like Ben Bradshaw MP in the Politician of the Year award, Mary Portas and Beth Ditto for Entertainer of The Year and Dustin Lance Black for Writer of The Year, as well as some less obvious names, but nevertheless well deserving, like the Kings Cross Steeler RFC and HotScots FC in the Sports Category.
The judging panel for these categories includes TV personality Sue Perkins, former basketball player John Amaechi and Today presenter Evan Davis, whilst the there are three additional categories to be voted for by Stonewall Supporters that include Hero of the Year and Bigot of The Year.
Speaking about the awards Ben Summerskill, the Chief Executive of Stonewall, said: ‘The Stonewall Awards recognise talented people who use their skills to champion lesbian, gay and bisexual equality in Britain. Every year the competition ups a notch – an encouraging sign that lesbian and gay visibility is gaining confidence.’
And you could, if you’ve got a spare £150 + VAT be there too, as Stonewall are currently tickets for the event, which will not only see you mixing with the creme de la creme of the gay and lesbian world, but also be treated to a champagne and canapé reception, followed by more champagne and food after the event.
Stonewall Awards 2009 – Shortlists
Publication of the Year
Financial Times
G3
Metro
People Management
The TimesPolitician of the Year
John Bercow MP
Ben Bradshaw MP
Chris Bryant MP
Lynne Featherstone MP
Baroness Turner of CamdenWriter of the Year
Dustin Lance Black (Milk)
Geraldine Bedell – (The Gulf Between Us)
Paul O’Grady (At My Mother’s Knee…)
Nicholas de Jongh (Plague Over England)
Sarah Waters (The Little Stranger)Entertainer of the Year
Stephen K Amos
Boyzone
Beth Ditto
Mary Portas
Russell ToveySports Award of the Year
Allison Fisher
Michael Hill
HotScots FC
Hope Powell
Kings Cross Steelers RFCJournalist of the Year
Jane Czyzselska (Diva and freelance)
Phil Reay-Smith (Freelance, The Times)
Johann Hari (Attitude and The Independent)
Joan Bakewell (The Times)
Janet Street Porter (The Independent)Broadcast of the Year
‘Corrective Rape in South Africa’ (Samira Ahmed – Channel 4 News report)
Economy Gastronomy (BBC 2)
Find me a Family (Channel 4)
FYI Radio (lesbian and gay youth radio station)
Pobol y Cwm (BBC Cymru)
Beth Ditto, Boyzone, Mary Portas, Paul O’Grady, Joan Bakewell – all nominated for Stonewall Awards
Eagerly anticipated 2009 shortlists announced
Stonewall’s 2009 Awards ceremony, held at London’s glitzy V&A on 5 November, is set to be the liveliest so far as the shortlists are revealed.
The event, sponsored by Barclays, honours those who have made a positive contribution to lesbian and gay equality in Britain in the past year.
Comedian Stephen K Amos, actor Russell Tovey, singer Beth Ditto, boy band Boyzone and TV personality Mary Portas are shortlisted for ‘Entertainer of the Year’ at the Awards.
Independent columnists Janet Street Porter and Johann Hari, Times columnist Joan Bakewell and Diva Editor Jane Czyzselska are among those shortlisted as ‘Journalist of the Year.’ ‘Writer of the Year’ nominees include Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black for Milk, Paul O’Grady for At My Mother’s Knee, Booker Prize shortlist nominee Sarah Waters for The Little Stranger, theatre critic turned playwright Nicholas De Jongh for Plague Over England and Geraldine Bedell for The Gulf Between Us.
Nominated politicians include new Speaker John Bercow, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport Ben Bradshaw, Labour MP Chris Bryant and Liberal Democrat MP Lynne Featherstone.
Winners from these categories and Sports Award, Publication and Broadcast of the Year will be chosen by a celebrity judging panel which includes TV personality Sue Perkins, Today presenter Evan Davis and former basketball player John Amaechi.
Voting is currently taking place for three other categories by thousands of Stonewall supporters across Britain. ‘Hero of the Year’ nominees include poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy and ‘Bigot of the year’ nominees include The Phelps Family.
Ben Summerskill, Stonewall Chief Executive, said: ‘The Stonewall Awards recognise talented people who use their skills to champion lesbian, gay and bisexual equality in Britain. Every year the competition ups a notch – an encouraging sign that lesbian and gay visibility is gaining confidence.’
Photo by Jason Cartwright.
