The Spirit of London Awards is an awards ceremony that awards young people for their talent across London and the UK, in the arts, media, sport,

campaign Campaign or The Campaign may refer to: Types of campaigns * Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed * Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme * B ...

ing and education. The project was created by the Damilola Taylor Trust in 2009 as a way of addressing the imbalance young people are portrayed by the national media by creating a Community Oscars for young people to rival the MOBO Awards and the BAFTAs. SOLA is also a youth movement aimed at decreasing crime by young people, decreasing poverty and ensuring every young person reaches their potential. They do this by working in conjunction with the

Greater London Authority The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym "City Hall", is the devolved regional governance body of Greater London. It consists of two political branches: the executive Mayoralty (currently led by Sadiq Khan) and the ...

, local government and Parliament. Supporters include

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

PM, Frank Warren, Leona Lewis, Brooke Kinsella,

Noel Clarke Noel Anthony Clarke (born 6 December 1975) is a British actor, screenwriter, director, and comic book writer. Rising to prominence for playing Mickey Smith in ''Doctor Who'' (2005–2010), he played Sam in the films ''Kidulthood'' (2006), ''Adu ...

, Diversity, Boris Johnson and Rio Ferdinand. It is supported by

Barclays Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...

, The Sun, Team GB, Kiss 100, Working Links,

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

and many other organizations and companies. The first Spirit of London Awards was held on 27 November 2009, at the

Alexander Palace The Alexander Palace (russian: Александровский дворец, ''Alexandrovskiy dvorets'') is a former imperial residence near the town of Tsarskoye Selo in Russia, on a plateau about south of Saint Petersburg. The Palace was c ...

in London. The second awards took place 27 November 2010, at The O2 Arena IndigO2 in London. The 2011 awards took place at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

on 20 November 2011 and the 2012 awards took place on 10 December 2012 at The O2 Arena. Before each awards night there is a reception at

10 Downing Street 10 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 10, is the official residence and executive office of the first lord of the treasury, usually, by convention, the prime minister of the United Kingdom. Along wi ...

so the short-listed nominees can meet the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The Prime Ministers to have greeted and congratulated the nominees so far are Gordon Brown and David Cameron.

Downing Street reception

Approximately two weeks before the awards night the three nominees in each category, the sponsors of the event and performers on the night get a chance to meet each other at

before the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom delivers a speech.

SOLA School Roadshow

Previous nominees along with a celebrity ambassador go to

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

s all over London to speak to the students about their experiences. There is also a Q&A at the end when students can ask questions. In 2012 the roadshow went to over 20 schools in London.

Youth manifesto

In 2012 using the collection of ideas from 140 young ambassadors of SOLA and other young people around London's most disadvantaged areas a youth manifesto was created which delivers ideas on how the government can effectively engage young people in the UK. It was written by 23-year-old Oliver Hypolite-Bishop who also wrote

Siobhan Benita Siobhan Benita (' Pook; born 11 October 1971) is a British former civil servant. She was an independent candidate in the 2012 London mayoral election. She was then the Liberal Democrat candidate in the London mayoral election originally plan ...

's manifesto for the

2012 London mayoral election The 2012 London mayoral election was an election held on Thursday 3 May 2012, to elect the Mayor of London. It was held on the same day as the London Assembly election, and used a supplementary vote system. The election was won by the incumbe ...

. It was presented to

, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband on 29 November 2012.

Award categories

Each category has three nominees shortlisted. (Sometimes one more is added in special circumstances.) * Community Champions Award - Young people who strive through their endeavors and positive actions to make their mark on their local community. * London Legend Award - The award goes to the iconic Londoner who young people feel deserves recognition for their role in promoting London positively on the world stage. * Young Heroes Award (Mayor's Order of Merit) - An award for special kids whose special deeds have made a difference to their local community. * Achievement Through Sport Award - For young people who either excel themselves against the odds or who use sport to help others in the community. * Achievement Through Music Award - Young people who use their ability with music to progress in life or to brighten up the lives of others in their communities. * Community Business Entrepreneur Award - This award is for a young person or group of young people who light their local community with their enterprise through business. * Achievement Through Education Award - An important award category and one which will be awarded not necessarily to an individual but perhaps to a class of young people who have excelled together and brightened up their local community in doing so. * Achievement Through The Arts Award - An awards category for those that make their mark creatively in the arts world - film, television, theater, literature and then light up the world for others in doing so. * Special Recognition Award - This award is made for outstanding contribution to charity campaigning.

2012 awards

The awards ceremony on 10 December was held at The O2 Arena in Greenwich. The hosts for this event were

Emily Atack Emily Jane Atack (born 18 December 1989) is an English actress, comedian, and television personality. She is best known for playing Charlotte Hinchcliffe on the E4 comedy series '' The Inbetweeners'' (2008-2010), and for her roles in Keith Le ...

and Russell Kane; the confirmed line up performing on the night included Labrinth, Maverick Sabre,

Stooshe Stooshe () are a British girl group from London, consisting of three members Alexandra Buggs, Karis Anderson and Courtney Rumbold. Initially signed to Warner Music they released of their first single " Love Me", featuring US rapper Travie McCoy ...

, McFly, Noisettes,

YolanDa Brown YolanDa Faye Brown (born 4 October 1982) is a British saxophonist, composer, and broadcaster. Her musical sound is a fusion of reggae, jazz and soul. In 2022 she was appointed chair of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Early life and ...

, Diversity and Angel. The submissions for each category this year averaged 3000 nominations. The Spirit of London Awards will become the biggest ever youth event with an 8000-seater audience celebrating the young people of the UK.

2011 awards

The awards were held on 20 November 2011. The event was at The Royal Albert Hall and was hosted by Stacey Solomon and Eddie Kadi. Performers on the night included Tinchy Stryder, Beverley Knight, DJ Fresh, Diversity and Keri Hilson.

Class of 2011

Achievement through music

* David o'Connell - Winner * Miranda Gunn - Shortlisted * J - Sol - Shortlisted

Achievement through education

* Alexandros Pamnani - Winner * Kay-Jay Simmons - Shortlisted * Jamal Walker - Shortlisted

Achievement through media

* Bobby Jenkins - Winner * Creative Nerds - Dirujan Sabesan & Sam Thornton - Shortlisted * Courtney Dionne Carr - Shortlisted

Community champions

* HYPE - Winner * Barking & Dagenham young inspectors - Shortlisted * Horizons ShoutOut Council - Shortlisted

Young business entrepreneur

* Jude Samuel Escol - Winner * Jahmila Connage - Shortlisted * Jessica Rose - Shortlisted

Achievement through the arts

* Antoinette Rita Opeyemi - Winner * Torron-Lee Dewar - Shortlisted * Fabien Soazandry - Shortlisted

Achievement through sport

* Pechkam BMX Club - Winner * Mauro Vilhete - Shortlisted * Darius Knight - Shortlisted

Young hero

* * Lucas Pinto - Winner * Louis French - Shortlisted * Cynthia Masiyiwa - Shortlisted

Achievement through fashion

* Jessica Anuna - Winner * Jada Simone - Shortlisted * Nicholas Amfo - Shortlisted

Young campaigner of the year

* Callum Fairhurst - Shortlisted * Eliza Reberio - Shortlisted * Jahanara Chaudhry - Shortlisted

London legend

Harry Redknapp Henry James Redknapp (born 2 March 1947) is an English former football manager and player. He has previously managed AFC Bournemouth, West Ham United, Portsmouth, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Queens Park Rangers and Birmingham City. In his ...

- Winner

2010 awards

The awards were held 27 November 2010. This year's event was held at the

IndigO2 The O2 is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars, and restaurants. It was built largely within ...

in Greenwich, and was hosted by Tamar Hussan (Clash of the Titans) and

Tasha Danvers Tasha De'Anka Danvers (born 19 September 1977) is a British Olympic bronze medallist, who finished in third place in the 400 metres hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She was born in London to two athletes, Dorrett McKoy and Donald Danvers, ...

(Olympic bronze medalist in 400m hurdles). The supporting cast included such acts as Toploader, Roll Deep, Labrinth, Robbie Craig, Diversity, and

Alexandra Burke Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewen Burke (born 25 August 1988) is a British singer, songwriter and actress. She won the fifth series of the British television series ''The X Factor'' in 2008, and has been signed to Epic Records, RCA Records and Syc ...

Class of 2010

* Vanessa Sanyauke (Rafiki Network) - Won Community Champions Award * Nutmeg - Shortlisted for the Community Champions Award * Bigga Fish Street Team - Shortlisted for the Community Champions Award * Prendergast Ladywellfields College - Won Young Heroes Award * Supakids - Shortlisted for the Young Heroes Award * Joshua Sukama - Shortlisted for Young Heroes Award * Jessica Elliott (Dancing After School) - Won Community Business Entrepreneur Award * Omar Choudhry - Shortlisted for the Community Business Entrepreneur Award *

Sabirul Islam Sabirul Islam ( bn, সাবিরুল ইসলাম; born 12 July 1990) is an English entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. He has written three self-help books. His Teen-Trepreneur board game sold to over 550 schools in the Unite ...

- Shortlisted for the Community Business Entrepreneur Award * Hayley Rea (Aim High Dance Academy) - Won Achievement Through The Arts Award * Big Deal Youth Arts Company - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through The Arts Award * Alice Moore - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through The Arts Award * Camara Fearon - Won Achievement Through Music Award * Clarence 'Poetic Preacher' Jackson - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Music Award * SwiftKnight - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Music Award * Robert Hughes - Won Achievement Through Sport Award * Ryan Jones - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Sport Award * Chloe Spiteri - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Sport Award * Bobby Kensah - Won Achievement Through Education Award * Nathan Ghann - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Education Award * Jesse Andrews & Jessie Brock - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Education Award * Dennis Gyamfi (Endz2Endz) - Won Achievement Through Media Award * The Exposure Team - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Media Award * Raphael Oyelade - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Media Award * Barbara Windsor - Won London Legend Award

2009 awards

In attendance were distinguished celebrities such as Sir Michael Caine, JLS,

, and Tamar Hassan, the majority of the mayors from the 33 London boroughs, senior executives from various sponsors, and notable government officials. The show was hosted by Brooke Kinsella and Lemar. There were performances by Alexandra Burke,

DJ Ironik James Christian Charters (born 18 January 1988), better known as Ironik (formerly as DJ Ironik), is a British musician, DJ and rapper. His genre of music varies from hip hop, grime, R&B and UK garage. DJ Ironik was born in London. DJ Ironik ...

, and Diversity to name but a few who gave their time for free to celebrate the young people.

Class of 2009

* Daniel De Gale - Won the Special Recognition Award * Nathan Storey - Won the Young Heroes Award * The Silvester Cousins - Shortlisted for the Young Heroes Award * Thomas Robertson - Shortlisted for the Young Heroes Award * Steve Jones - Shortlisted for the Young Heroes Award * Dean Atta - Won the Achievement Through the Arts Award * Islington Youth Theatre - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through the Arts Award * SuperArts Dancers - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through the Arts Award * Ebonie Reid-Barlow - Won the Achievement Through Education Award * Tommy Williams - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Education Award * Michael Adewale - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Education Award. * Kolor Skeme - Won the Community Business Entrepreneur Award * MBG Funhouse - Shortlisted for the Community Business Entrepreneur Award * The Cordless Show Team - Shortlisted for the Community Business Entrepreneur Award * The Respect Team - Won the Community Champions Award * Ascension Eagles Senior Coed Team - Shortlisted for the Community Champions Award *

Burntwood School Burntwood School is a girls' secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in Wandsworth, London, England, opened in September 1986. It is one of the largest state schools for girls at the secondary level in the country. History ...

Envision Team - Shortlisted for the Community Champions Award * Mariama Samba - Won the Achievement Through Music Award * Frances Davies - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Music Award * Matthew Haynes - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Music Award * Liam O'Brien (aka Ritz) - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Music Award * Marlon Mellish - Won the Achievement Through Sport Award * Sean Safo - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Sport Award * Jack Booth - Shortlisted for the Achievement Through Sport Award * Sir Michael Caine - Won the London Legend Award

References

{{Reflist Award ceremonies in the United Kingdom Events in London London awards Articles containing video clips