We are delighted to announce that the Eastern Eye Arts, Culture & Theatre Awards (ACTAs) 2026 will take place on 15 May 2026 (Friday) in Central London. Nominations are now open for next year’s awards, which celebrate outstanding south Asian talent across the arts, culture and creative industries.

The announcement follows a powerful ACTAs 2025 ceremony, which once again underlined the platform’s role in championing representation, storytelling and creative excellence. Veteran director Waris Hussein received the Eastern Eye Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Creative Industry 2025, while Meera Syal won Best Actress (Theatre) for A Tupperware of Ashes. Speaking on the importance of storytelling, Syal reminded the audience that “we believe in the power of storytelling, and we need storytelling to survive,” reinforcing ACTAs’ core mission of amplifying south Asian voices.

The 2025 awards also celebrated a wide spectrum of emerging and established talent across film, television, literature and music. Winners included AA Dhand and Staz Nair for Virdee, Varada Sethu (Best Actress – Film & Television), and Rishi Nair for his role in Grantchester. Reflecting on progress in representation, Nair noted the growing presence of south Asian actors in leading roles, while Sethu highlighted how seeing “brown faces take up space” helps normalise diverse narratives and shape the future of British storytelling.

Since their launch in 2016, the ACTAs have recognised and nurtured south Asian creativity in Britain, honouring both artistic excellence and cultural impact. ACTAs 2026 will continue this legacy—celebrating achievement, encouraging the next generation, and reaffirming the vital place of south Asian stories within the UK’s cultural landscape.