The Spirit of London Awards is an awards ceremony that awards young people for their talent across

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and the UK, in the

arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass el ...

sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

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 * Bl ...

ing and

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

. 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 The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Af ...

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 Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

and

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. 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 Leona Louise Lewis (born 3 April 1985) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and activist. Born and raised in the London Borough of Islington, she attended the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon. Lewis achieved nationa ...

Brooke Kinsella Brooke Kinsella (born 17 July 1983) is a British actress, author and anti-knife crime campaigner. A graduate of the Anna Scher Theatre School, Kinsella has been acting since childhood. She has had various roles on television and in film. Her mos ...

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 Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce *Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers * ...

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

and

Rio Ferdinand Rio Gavin Ferdinand (born 7 November 1978) is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back, and is now a television pundit for BT Sport. He played 81 times for the England national team between 1997 and 2011, and was ...

. 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 Team GB is the brand name used since 1999 by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for their British Olympic team. The brand was developed after the nation's poor performance in the 1996 Summer Olympics, and is now a trademark of the BOA. I ...

Kiss 100 Kiss is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Kiss Network. It is primarily aimed at the 15-34 age group and broadcasts nationally to the UK on DAB Digital Radio, as well as on FM in London, Bristol and ...

Working Links Working Links (formally Working Links (Employment) Limited) was a British outsourcing subcontractor established in 2000 as a public, private and voluntary company that provided welfare services and help with employability. It was acquired by the ...

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 The O2 Arena, commonly known as the O2 (stylised as The O2 arena), is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of the O2 entertainment complex on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the s ...

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

. 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 minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As modern pr ...

. The Prime Ministers to have greeted and congratulated the nominees so far are

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

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

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 Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British media executive and former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who has been president for global affairs at Meta Platforms since 2022, having previously been vicepr ...

and

Ed Miliband Edward Samuel "Ed" Miliband (born 24 December 1969) is a British politician serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero since 2021. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Doncaster North since 2005. 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

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the 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 Lemo ...

and

Russell Kane Russell Kane (born Russell David Anthony Grineau; 19 August 1975) is an English writer, comedian, and actor. He has 4 times been nominated at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards, winning the Best Comedy Show award in 2010. Although known mainly for st ...

; the confirmed line up performing on the night included

Labrinth Timothy Lee McKenzie (born 4 January 1989), better known by his stage name Labrinth, is an English singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer. After initially pursuing a career in music production, Simon Cowell signed him to his record labe ...

Maverick Sabre Michael Stafford (born 12 July 1990), better known as Maverick Sabre, is an Irish singer, songwriter, and rapper. Early life Sabre was born in Hackney, London. At age four, he moved with his family to New Ross, County Wexford, where he grew ...

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 McFly are an English pop rock band formed in London in 2003. The band took their name from the '' Back to the Future'' character Marty McFly. The band consists of Tom Fletcher (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Danny Jones (lead vocals, har ...

Noisettes Noisettes are an English indie rock band from London, currently composed of singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa and guitarist Dan Smith. The band first achieved commercial success and nationwide recognition with the second single of their seco ...

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 ...

and

Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

. 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 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 governm ...

and was hosted by

Stacey Solomon Stacey Chanelle Clare Solomon-Swash (born 4 October 1989) is an English singer and television personality. She finished in third place on the sixth series of ''The X Factor'' in 2009, and won the tenth series of '' I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Ou ...

and

Eddie Kadi Eddie Kadi (born 18 May 1983 in Kinshasa) is a British-Congolese comedian, presenter and actor. Early life A resident of South-West London since 1992, he is a past student of Fulham Primary School, Henry Compton Secondary School, William Morris ...

. Performers on the night included

Tinchy Stryder Kwasi Esono Danquah III ( ; born 14 September 1986), known by the stage name Tinchy Stryder, is a Ghanaian British, Ghanaian-British rapper, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and investor. Stryder has released three solo (music), solo studio al ...

Beverley Knight Beverley Knight (born Beverley Anne Smith, 22 March 1973) is an English recording artist and musical theatre actress. She released her first album, ''The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke and ...

DJ Fresh Daniel Edward Stein (born 11 April 1977), better known by his stage name DJ Fresh, is an English musician, DJ, record producer, best known for making electronic music. He is one of the principal members of the drum and bass group Bad Company, ...

, Diversity and

Keri Hilson Keri Lynn Hilson (born December 5, 1982) is an American R&B singer, songwriter and actress. She was born and raised in Decatur, Georgia and spent most of her youth working with producer Anthony Dent as a songwriter and background vocalist for ...

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 Toploader are an English rock band from Eastbourne, East Sussex, formed in 1997, with over two million album sales and several top 20 hits both home and abroad. Their debut album, ''Onka's Big Moka'', sold over one million units and peaked in ...

Roll Deep Roll Deep (formerly Roll Deep Entourage) are a British grime crew. They were founded in 2001 by Wiley shortly before the disbandment of UK garage crew Pay As U Go Cartel. The group have had two UK No. 1 singles, " Good Times" and " Green Ligh ...

, 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 Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

JLS JLS (an initialism of Jack the Lad Swing) are an English boyband, which consists of members Aston Merrygold, Oritsé Williams, Marvin Humes, and JB Gill, originally formed by Williams. They initially signed to Tracklacers production company Ne ...

, 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 Lemar Obika (born 4 April 1978), known as Lemar, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. Initially rising to fame after finishing third on the first series of British talent show ''Fame Academy'', he was later signed to Sony BMG ...

. 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 Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

- Won the London Legend Award

References

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