Join us for the 2025 Creative Edinburgh Awards!
Nominations for the Awards opened earlier this year and we were excited to see the creative community sending in applications for themselves, their peers, and projects that have inspired them over the past 12 months.
Now, we're inviting you to join us to celebrate at the Awards Ceremony on Friday 14 November at Central Hall as we announce the 2025 Winners live and cheer to this special community!
There's Nothing Like the Magic of Being There
This November, we're inviting you to conjure the magic of creativity, rejoice in the spirit of artistry, and celebrate the fortunes of those who have boldly pursued their creative visions over this past year.
Edinburgh is a city shaped by its rich history and dramatic landscape - a place where storytelling is stitched into the very fabric of its streets. Steeped in mystery and lore, this city offers a powerful emotional and visual backdrop for creativity. Beneath its surface lie countless untold narratives, waiting to be discovered - much like the emerging and unheard creative voices that make up this magical community.
At the 2025 Creative Edinburgh Awards Ceremony, we'll reveal this year's winners, spotlighting the people and projects who have made their mark and helped redefine what creativity means in our city today.
Collaborative processes go hand in hand with creative pursuits, and many projects flourish as a result of positive collaboration. This award celebrates work involving two or more individuals/organisations who have come together and created something impactful.
2025 Finalists:
• Porty Festival
• Helter Skelter - Pauly Pocket (Artist) & Simon Preston (Friends of Montgomery Street Park)
• Spiders for Ukraine and John Morran
• The Unlikely Friendship of Feather Boy and Tentacle Girl'
Creativity is a force for good and it helps communities thrive. We want to recognise the projects and people that create change and engage communities. This award celebrates thriving community hubs, community-minded artists or animators working within your local neighbourhood and making a difference.
2025 Finalists:
• Local Cinema Network, WHALE Arts
• Edinburgh Open Workshop
• Starcatchers' Expecting Something
• RMB Dance Edinburgh
• North Edinburgh Arts
• Bare Productions CIC
Tracking career progress isn't always straightforward, especially for individual practitioners or those within small creative organisations. This award recognises the remarkable journey of personal and professional development that often goes unnoticed. Celebrating how you’ve embraced challenges, learned from failures, and ultimately achieved creative fulfilment.
2025 Finalists:
• Olivia Calderón
• Pepita Mwanga
• Ying Gao
• Pirita Tuisku
• Shamama Fatima
Edinburgh is home to globally famed festivals. As the city comes to life with cultural experiences, we want to acknowledge the teams and collaborations that make festivals possible. This award celebrates festivals that showcase exceptional creativity, inclusivity, and community engagement.
2025 Finalists:
• Take One Action Film Festivals
• Accessible Book & Story Festival
• TAGS Festival
• Welcome to the Fringe, Palestine
Edinburgh is a diverse city, and we want to celebrate projects/organisations that have worked hard for their work to reflect this diversity. This can include physical accessibility, affordability, or programmes aimed at underrepresented groups.
2025 Finalists:
• Queer as Punk
• Burst
• Ailie Finlay, Director, My Kind of Book
• ESEA Creatives
A creative adventure where innovative approaches have been explored, risks have been taken and testing out new ideas has been at the forefront of the project. This award celebrates innovative thinking and that has been translated into a brand-new, compelling products/projects/initiatives.
2025 Finalists
• Half Trick Theatre
• ASCUS Art & Science
• Bonnie and Braw Cartuns
• Studio Mol
A pioneer, a mentor, an inspiring leader - we want to celebrate the people whose contribution to their field, a project or Edinburgh’s whole creative community has been visible and vital. Someone who has worked hard for the benefit of their network, organisation or community.
2025 Finalists:
• Rohan Seilman
• Eve Greenwood
• Morvern Cunningham
• Claire Swanson
Being a student or recent graduate is about constant learning and stepping out of your comfort zone. This award celebrates students who have founded or worked on an exciting project, or pushed the boundaries of their creative practice alongside their studies.
2025 Finalists:
• Evans Eghan
• Hannah Chow
• Suky Goodfellow
• Peter Laing
Creative Edinburgh Awards Trophy Sponsor
We are delighted to once again be partnering with Edinburgh College and their School of Art and Design students who will create the trophies for each of the eight 2025 Award Winners. The students work together in groups to pitch, design and build a bespoke trophy that represents each of the eight Award Categories.
The trophies are created as part of their college curriculum and are created using sustainable materials. A huge thank you to Edinburgh College and the 2025 class - we can't wait to see what you create!
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Thank you to our partners and supporters
Meet the Previous Award Winners
