The South Australian Ruby Awards, also known as the Ruby Awards, are annual awards which recognise outstanding achievement in
South Australia’s arts and culture sector. They were named in honour of arts champion Dame
Ruby Litchfield (1912–2001) .
History and description
The Ruby Awards were introduced in 2006 by the
Government of South Australia
The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government, SA Government or more formally, His Majesty’s Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of South Australia. It is modelled o ...
, named in honour of the late arts patron Dame Ruby Litchfield. She was the first woman appointed to the Board of the
Adelaide Festival Centre Trust
Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first multi-purpose arts centre and the home of South Australia's performing arts, was built in the 1970s, designed by Hassell Architects. The Festival Theatre opened in June 1973 with the rest of the centr ...
, a founder member of Festival City Broadcasters, and a board member of numerous other organisations, including the
Adelaide Festival of Arts
The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...
, the
South Australian Housing Trust and the
Carclew Youth Performing Arts Centre.
The Awards were managed by
Arts South Australia (formerly Arts SA) until 2018, when they were transferred to the Arts and Culture unit within the
Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
Since the year of inception, they have grown in number from eight to twelve.
Winners
2006–2009
2010–2013
The Geoff Crowhurst Memorial Award was introduced in honour of actor and director
Geoff Crowhurst
The Junction Theatre Company was South Australia’s first professional community theatre company, founded in 1984. It was located in the Adelaide suburb of Thebarton, until its closure in 2002. Its touring productions were performed in schools, ...
(23 March 1951 – 4 July 2009).
2014–2017
2018–present
The 2018 South Australian Ruby Award significantly reshaped the award categories, including individual categories names in honour of the late
Kaurna elder Stephen Goldsmith (the Stevie Gadlabarti Goldsmith Memorial Award for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artistic and cultural achievement) and local arts icon
Frank Ford (the Frank Ford Memorial Young Achiever Award), both of whom who died in the same year.
The Awards were held at the
Queen's Theatre, Adelaide and the judging panel included eight key industry figures, including
Heather Croall
Heather Croall (born 1967) is an international arts festival CEO and Artistic Director and documentary producer, best known for leading Sheffield Doc/Fest and Adelaide Fringe, and her work on live music / archive films including The Big Melt, ...
,
Gavin Wanganeen and media personality
Jane Doyle.
The 2019 Ruby Awards will be held at Queens Theatre on Friday 29 November. All winners receive a bespoke, ruby-coloured glasswork designed and made at the JamFactory, and a new prize for Premier's Award for Lifetime Achievement was established: a gold nameplate on a seat in the Festival Theatre. The People's Choice Award established in 2017 was not offered.
References
External links
*{{cite web, website=South Australia. Dept of the Premier and Cabinet, url=https://dpc.sa.gov.au/responsibilities/arts-and-culture/awards-and-events, title=Awards and events
Australian art awards
Australian theatre awards