Dave and Jesy Nelson among winners at Visionary Honours social impact awards
Blue Story picked up the award for film of the year.
Rapper Dave and Little Mix star Jesy Nelson were among the winners at the Visionary Honours awards, which celebrate social impact in the arts.
Dave was awarded song of the year for Black, which addresses issues of racism and inequality in the UK, while Nelson won documentary of the year for Odd One Out, her BBC Three programme about cyber bullying and mental health.
Gang drama Blue Story, which was temporarily pulled from some cinemas due to violence at screenings, was named film of the year.
The film follows the lives of two boys who get caught up on opposite sides of a postcode war.
ITV’s Ross Kemp Living With, which sees the actor and presenter explore different issues facing society, was named television show of the year.
He said in a video message that it was a “shame” that him and the team who worked on the show “can’t have a few wines or beers” at a live awards ceremony because of coronavirus, but said that they are all planning to celebrate once the lockdown has ended.
The BBC’s diversity chief June Sarpong won the award for most inspiring person of the year.
Spoken word artist George The Poet, who makes the BBC podcast Have You Heard George’s Podcast? picked up a gong in the influencer/journalist of the year category.
He said: “That’s big, especially for someone who isn’t officially either of those things.
“But I do put a lot of work into trying to give you the best story and the most well-researched story that I can.”
Novelist Juno Dawson won book of the year for the compilation Proud, which features stories and poetry by LGBT writers.
Adrian Grant, founder of the the Visionary Honours, said: “The Visionary Honours are not about awarding egos or fame.
“They are about recognising culture, media and entertainment that has created awareness of social issues and inspired change or debate.”
The awards were launched in 2018 by the Visionary Arts Foundation to “shine a light on culture, media and entertainment that has inspired social change or debate”, according to organisers.
