The South Australian Ruby Awards, also known as the Ruby Awards, are annual awards which recognise outstanding achievement in
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
’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, 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, a founder member of Festival City Broadcasters, and a board member of numerous other organisations, including the
Adelaide Festival of Arts, the
South Australian Housing Trust
The South Australian Housing Trust (SAHT) is an independent statutory authority originally established by the Government of South Australia responsible for providing low-cost rental housing to working people and their families, as a means of s ...
and the
Carclew Youth Performing Arts Centre.
The Awards were managed by
Arts South Australia
Arts South Australia (previously Arts SA) was responsible for managing the South Australian Government's funding for the arts and cultural heritage from about 1996 until late 2018, when it was progressively dismantled, a process complete by early ...
(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 (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
The Kaurna people (, ; also Coorna, Kaura, Gaurna and other variations) are a group of Aboriginal people whose traditional lands include the Adelaide Plains of South Australia. They were known as the Adelaide tribe by the early settlers. Kaurn ...
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,
Gavin Wanganeen and media personality
Jane Doyle
Jane Doyle (born 9 February 1958) is a retired Australian television presenter who was best known for presenting ''Seven News'' in Adelaide between 1989 and 2022, having joined the Seven Network from ABC TV.
Early career
Doyle began as a sch ...
.
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