Business to Arts launched the call for Dublin nominations for the annual Business to Arts Awards to join previous local winners Lynders Mobile Home Park and Fingal County Council Arts Office, recipients of the Best Small Sponsorship Award in 2016. The Awards champion businesses, artists and arts organisations across the country that work together in areas such as sponsorship, commissioning and
CSR programmes, which involve creativity in the community and in the workplace. At the awards launch, Business to Arts encouraged businesses across Ireland to support the arts, strengthen their existing relationships with the cultural community and create meaningful partnerships at a time of critical need for the arts sector. Research conducted by Business to Arts in 2019 among corporate sponsors and arts organisations in Ireland revealed that: Over €8.5 million was spent on arts, festival and music sponsorships between May 2018/2019. Of the arts sponsors surveyed in 2019, 41% reported that they would increase their spend in 2020.
Winners of the Business to Arts Awards provide leading examples that help inform others about the ways to support the arts sector in local communities during the pandemic. 2021 will mark the 29th edition
of the Business to Arts Awards and will include a COVID-19-adapted Ceremony, which will take place in April 2021 and will be broadcast online from the GPO. Supporters of the Awards include Accenture, Arthur Cox, daa, Irish Life, The Arts Council / An Comhairle Ealion, The Irish Times, TileStyle and An Post.
There are 9 categories in total that focus on sponsorship, commissioning and CSR initiatives including creativity in the community and in the workplace. A new award recognising philanthropic giving has been announced in partnership with the Arts Council. The full list of categories are:
- Best Large Sponsorship (> €25,000) supported by Arthur Cox
- Best Small Sponsorship (< €25,000)
- Best Long Term Partnership (3 years or more) supported by The Irish Times
- Best Use of Creativity in the Community supported by Irish Life
- Best Use of Creativity in the Workplace
- Jim McNaughton Perpetual Award for Best Commissioning Practice
- Best Philanthropic Support to the Arts supported by the Arts Council
- Jim McNaughton / TileStyle €10,000 Bursary for Artists
- Judges’ Special Recognition Award supported by Accenture
Previous award winners include BNP Paribas & IMMA, Butler Gallery & Cartoon Saloon, Grant Thornton & National Concert Hall, McGarrell Reilly Group, Fishamble; The New Play Company and Waterford Walls.
The closing date for applications is Wednesday 16th December at 5pm. Go to www.businesstoarts.ie/awards for information on the application process and to complete the online application form.
At the launch Andrew Hetherington, Chief Executive of Business to Arts said:
“As we re-open society, it is critical that we increase our advocacy with the private sector to support the arts community in towns and cities throughout Ireland. Our Awards are our flagship programme to achieve this. The winners will demonstrate how businesses are supporting the arts during the pandemic and the many ways other businesses can do this. We welcome the supporters of the Business to Arts Awards this year. Their commitment reflects the belief in our mission to champion collaboration with Ireland’s arts community and encourage other business leaders to support the arts. We look forward to recognising the shortlisted and winning relationships in April in a COVID-19 appropriate Awards Ceremony.”
