Prizing business sense

Twenty-one businesses have been shortlisted for this year’s Arts & Business Awards, designed to dish out gongs to the best cultural and commercial partnerships from around the UK. Now in their thirty-second year, the awards are open to public votes for the first time although the final decision on who wins what will still be decided by an independent judging panel.
Colin Tweedy, Chief Executive of A&B, described the shortlist as representing “the level of innovation and enterprising thinking happening in partnerships between business and the arts in this challenging environment”. Each award category is sponsored by a business committed to working with the arts, a list which includes BP, Jaguar Land Rover, Lloyd’s, Prudential, Telegraph Media Group and Classic FM. The categories cover long-term arts and corporate partnerships, international work, branding, business innovation, people development, and work with the community and young people. Nominees for the Board Member of the Year Award – honouring an outstanding contribution to arts governance – are Bill Thompson (Writers Centre Norwich), John Middleton (The Broadway) and Norman Armstrong (aspex). Full case studies of each nominee open to public vote are online until 1 October. Winners will be announced on 18 November.

http://www.artsandbusiness.org.uk/awards}