Adelaide Critics Circle Inc. Announces Expanded 2025 Nominations

 

The Adelaide Critics Circle Incorporated is an independent body of professional arts critics representing a wide cross-section of Adelaide’s cultural media. Since its formation in 1996, the Circle has recognised excellence across South Australia’s performing and visual arts, celebrating the artists, companies and creative teams whose work elevates the state’s cultural life. Its annual awards are regarded as a vital record of the artistry, innovation and craft that define Adelaide’s creative community.

 

Alongside its awards program, the Circle also advocates for the essential role of arts criticism in public discourse. Its members regularly review, debate and champion the breadth of artistic work produced in the state, ensuring informed, independent commentary remains a central part of Adelaide’s cultural ecosystem.

 

In 2024, the Adelaide Critics Circle Incorporated became an incorporated association, marking a significant milestone in its long history. With this new chapter comes the first formal expansion and refinement of its awards structure. For 2025, categories nominated now include: Community Individual and Group award(s), Professional Individual and Group award(s), Emerging Artist award, Innovation award, Professional and Community Youth Group award(s), Professional and Community Individual Actor in a Supporting Role award(s), Professional Music Group and Individual award(s), Community and Professional Creative and Technical award(s), the Visual Arts award, and the Lifetime Achievement award. While not all categories may attract nominations every year, this expanded structure ensures that each area of artistic practice is formally recognised and given dedicated consideration by the Circle.

 

This year also marks a new commitment to transparency: for the first time, the Adelaide Critics Circle Incorporated will publicly release all nominations, with the shortlist and winners to be announced live at the 2025 Awards Ceremony.

 

The full list of nominations is published on the Adelaide Critics Circle website, adelaidecriticscircle.com. The list includes more than 30 nominations across community groups, more than 20 across professional performing and visual artists and companies, and a record 6 nominations for the Independent Arts Foundation Award for Innovation, the only award of its type to carry a monetary prize.

 

The 2025 Adelaide Critics Circle Awards will be held at Holden Street Theatres, Kaurna Land, 34 Holden Street, Hindmarsh, on Monday 8 December from 6pm. Attendance is free, and all are warmly invited to join the Circle in celebrating South Australia’s artists and arts workers.

 

Paul Rodda

 

Editor’s Note: Critics for The Barefoot Review are members of the Adelaide Critics Circle Incorporated. This article was first published on adelaidecriticscircle.com