Fantastic For Families Awards 2022
Winners Announced
Family Arts Campaign are pleased to announce this year’s winners, who have made an outstanding contribution to family and age-friendly arts and culture in 2021-22.
We are pleased to announce the winners for the annual Fantastic for Families Awards for 2021-2022. These award-winning organisations represent the outstanding opportunities created by the arts and culture sector for families and older people to access creative opportunities and enhance wellbeing.
Award-winners were selected from 30 shortlisted organisations, whose Stories of Family Arts engagement have been celebrated and shared by the Family Arts Campaign. Winning submissions include a sensory gallery tour in Milton Keynes for children with special educational needs, a comedy club in Leeds for vulnerable older men, and an exhibition in Manchester inviting bereaved parents to share their experience of baby loss.
Keep scrolling to discover the winners, and watch our videos to find out more about each project that was shortlisted for this year’s awards. You can find out more about the winner’s projects on our Fantastic for Families Awards 2022 Winners Page and stories from the full shortlist on 30 Stories of Family Arts.
BEST FAMILY ARTS ACTIVITY AWARD
This award celebrates high-quality family arts activities suitable for audiences and participants of all ages.
Winners:
🏆 Aurora Theatre, Stroud, Hidden Treasures
🏆 Halpern Charitable Foundation (Nucleus Arts), Kent, Medway Fun Palace
🏆 Imaginate, Edinburgh, The 2021 Edinburgh International Children’s Festival: Family Encounters Programme
🏆 MK Gallery, Milton Keynes, Sensory Exhibition Tours
🏆 Peut-Être Theatre, London, Audiomoves
Best Family Arts Activity Award Judges:
“It was really encouraging to see how family arts events are recovering after the pandemic and we were impressed by the overall standard of work in this category. It was great to see work for families with additional needs and the care and attention taken to involve families in much of the work.”
– Alison Bowyer & Laura Bedford, Best Family Arts Activity Award Judges
Alison Bowyer
Executive Director
Kids in Museums
Laura Bedford
Head of Programmes
Kids in Museums
Discover all the shortlisted organisations in this category:
Best Age-Friendly Outreach Award
This award recognises outreach approaches provided specifically for older people, such as age-friendly activities, events, creative resources, or broader forms of support and outreach.
Winners:
🏆 Age Exchange, London, Caring Together Service
🏆 Leeds Playhouse, Leeds, Armley Comedy Club
Best Age-Friendly Outreach Award Judges:
“We were really impressed by the range of arts and creative activity these projects represent, recognising that, like everyone else, older people have a range of interests, skills and needs. It is really brilliant to see in-person activities being re-introduced, and the thing that really struck us about many of the projects was that they were the result of listening and genuinely involving older people.”
– Sarah Mears & Dr. Virginia Tandy OBE – Best Age-Friendly Outreach Award Judges
Sarah Mears
Programme Manager
Libraries Connected
Dr. Virginia Tandy OBE
Director
CADA (Creative Ageing Development Agency)
Discover all the shortlisted organisations in this category:
Audience Impact & Innovation Award
This award recognises the achievements of creative organisations, producers and artists who have demonstrated innovation and adaptability to make a difference and reach families in need.
Winners:
🏆 Collar & Cuffs Co., Bedfordshire, Toddington Village Sensory Trails
🏆 Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, Still Parents
Audience Impact and Innovation Award Judges:
“The quality of work delivered by applicants in the Audience Impact and Innovation category was remarkable. The well-developed relationship between organisations and audiences throughout all stages of process and production shone through. This was clearly a factor in how much the beneficiaries valued each brilliant project, and the difference it made to their lives.”
– Karla Barnacle-Best & Cath Hume – Audience Impact and Innovation Award Judges
Karla Barnacle-Best
Chief Executive
Discover Children’s Story Centre
Cath Hume
Chief Executive Officer
Arts Marketing Association
Discover all the shortlisted organisations in this category:
Fantastic For Families Awards are given by Family Arts Campaign, the national Sector Support Organisation for arts engagement and families, funded by Arts Council England. Family Arts Campaign is delighted to be continuing its work supporting the family arts sector as a newly confirmed Investment Principles Support Organisation of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio for 2023 – 2026.
You can find out more about the Fantastic for Families Awards here, and sign up to our newsletter to stay updated on the awards and more. Fantastic for Families Awards 2023 will open in the spring.
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