Great British Theatres Awards Categories
The Great British Theatres Awards will recognise excellence across 10 open award categories, ranging from awards for particular types of buildings to categories to celebrate how those buildings are used.
- Great New Build - Awarded to a newly built theatre or a new extension to an existing theatre. Open to projects completed in the past 5 years.
- Great Renovation - Awarded to a theatre retrofit or refurbishment project, which has adapted an existing theatre to meet the needs of modern and future audiences and performances. Open to projects completed in the past 5 years.
- Great Amateur Theatre - Awarded to an amateur theatre that’s making great use of its building. Open to amateur theatres that have carried out refurbishment projects in the past 5 years.
- Great Found Space - Awarded to a live performance venue created in a found or repurposed space, rather than a traditional or purpose-built theatre. Open to venues that have opened or been repurposed in the past 5 years.
- Great Community Connection- Awarded to a theatre that is going above and beyond to open its doors and offer a warm welcome to everyone, whether that’s through adaptation to its building, programming or outreach work.
- Great Use of Space - Awarded to a theatre making innovative or unconventional use of a space or spaces in a theatre building. It could be temporary or permanent, on a grand scale or a just a small corner used imaginatively.
- Great Placemaking Partner - Awarded to a local authority that truly values culture and is investing in cultural infrastructure to meaningfully benefit its local community.
- Great Green Theatre - Awarded to a theatre that has put environmental sustainability at the heart of the building, whether through changes to the theatre itself, its operations or its performances.
- Great Public Space - Awarded to a theatre with a space beyond the auditorium that is well-loved and well used by the community or a specific user group.
- Great British Theatres Shining Star - Awarded to an individual or a group of individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to create, save or adapt a theatre building for the community.
In addition to the ten public categories, the panel of expert judges will crown one theatre as the Great British Theatre 2026. This will be awarded to one building that best exemplifies the spirit of the Great British Theatres Awards.
The judges will also present the Great British Theatres Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising exceptional long-term contribution to theatre buildings and cultural infrastructure.