South Australian Ruby Awards
The South Australian Ruby Awards, also known as the Ruby Awards, are annual awards which recognise outstanding achievement in South Australia’s arts and culture sector. They were named in honour of arts champion Dame Ruby Litchfield .
History and description
The Ruby Awards were introduced in 2006 by the Government of South Australia, named in honour of the late arts patron Dame Ruby Litchfield. She was the first woman appointed to the Board of the Adelaide Festival Centre Trust, a founder member of Festival City Broadcasters, and a board member of numerous other organisations, including the Adelaide Festival of Arts, the South Australian Housing Trust and the Carclew Youth Performing Arts Centre.The Awards were managed by Arts South Australia until 2018, when they were transferred to the Arts and Culture unit within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
Since the year of inception, they have grown in number from eight to twelve.
Winners
2010–2013
The Geoff Crowhurst Memorial Award was introduced in honour of actor and director Geoff Crowhurst.2018–2023
The 2018 South Australian Ruby Award significantly reshaped the award categories, including individual categories names in honour of the late Kaurna elder Stephen Goldsmith and local arts icon Frank Ford, both of whom who died in the same year.| 2018 Finalists ' | 2019 Finalists ' | 2021 Finalists ' | 2023 Winners | |
| The Awards were held at the Queen's Theatre, Adelaide and the judging panel included eight key industry figures, including Heather Croall, Gavin Wanganeen and media personality Jane Doyle. | The 2019 Ruby Awards will be held at Queens Theatre on Friday 29 November. All winners receive a bespoke, ruby-coloured glasswork designed and made at the JamFactory, and a new prize for Premier's Award for Lifetime Achievement was established: a gold nameplate on a seat in the Festival Theatre. The People's Choice Award established in 2017 was not offered. | |||
| Outstanding Community Event or Project | - | - | - | Wild Dog, Jacob Boehme |
| Best Festival |
| Adelaide Film Festival | - | |
| Best Work or Event Within a Festival | Talk to Me, Danny and Michael Philippou, Adelaide Film Festival 2022 | |||
| Best Work or Event Outside a Festival | Beep and Mort – Series One, Windmill Pictures | |||
| Best Work, Event or Project for Young People | the Boy & the Ball, Stephen Noonan | |||
| Best Regional or Community Event or Project | Marungka Tjalatjunu (Dipped in Black), Derik Lynch and Matthew Thorne with Switch Productions | |||
| Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Organisation or Group | The Mill Adelaide | |||
| Made in Adelaide Award | - | - | ||
| Best Collaboration | - | - | Adelaide Film Festival EXPAND Lab 2022, Adelaide Film Festival, Samstag Museum of Art, Art Gallery of South Australia, Illuminate Adelaide, The Balnaves Foundation. | |
| Stevie Gadlabarti Goldsmith Memorial Award | Major Moogy Sumner | Nici Cumpston | Lee-Ann Tjunypa Buckskin | Natasha Wanganeen |
| Frank Ford Memorial Young Achiever Award | Nicholas Carter | Winner: Tilda Cobham-HerveyHighly Commended: Anton Andreacchio | Grace Coy | Alexander Flood |
| Geoff Crowhurst Memorial Award | Nick O’Connor, Director, Northern Sound System | Winner: Kunmanara Williams Highly Commended: Ann Newmarch | Nick Hughes | Tony Hannan |
| People's Choice Award | True North Youth Theatre Ensemble | - | - | - |
| Premier's Award for Lifetime Achievement | Alison Milyika Carroll, Indigenous artist and community leader at Ernabella/Pukatja | Paul Blackwell and David Gulpilil | Pat Rix and Garry Stewart | Diana Harris and Nigel Levings' |
2024
| 2024 Winners | |
| Outstanding Community Event or Project | Papercuts Comics Festival 2023, Papercuts Comics Festival |
| Outstanding Regional Event or Project | Saltbush Country, Country Arts SA and Art Gallery of South Australia |
| Outstanding Work, Event or Project for Young People | Superluminal, Patch Theatre |
| Outstanding Work or Event Within a Festival | Private View, Restless Dance Theatre, Adelaide Festival 2024 |
| Outstanding Work or Event Outside a Festival | The Dictionary of Lost Words, State Theatre Company of South Australia |
| Outstanding Collaboration | Blak Futures, Australian Dance Theatre, BlakDance, Adelaide Festival |
| Outstanding Contribution by an Organisation or Group | Adelaide Youth Orchestra |
| Geoff Crowhurst Memorial Award | Claire Wildish |
| Frank Ford Memorial Young Achiever Award | Lilla Berry |
| Stevie Gadlabarti Goldsmith Memorial Award | Gina Rings |
| Premier's Award for Lifetime Achievement | James Currie |
2025
In 2025, the awards event was hosted by Elaine Crombie, and included performances by Dusty Lee Stephensen, the Adelaide Chamber Singers, WAYIN:THI Collective, and Nat Luna.| 2025 Winners | Shortlisted | |
| Outstanding Community Event or Project | The Knowledge Project – Kuma Kaaru and Nucleus | Artists on the Inside – KuArts The Walking Track by Karul Projects – Vitalstatistix |
| Outstanding Regional Event or Project | Kulinma – Wellbeing Project – Anangu Schools Partnership | SALT on the Water: Message in a Bottle – SALT Festival |
| Outstanding Work, Event or Project for Young People | Neo – Art Gallery of South Australia | Can Touch This – Adelaide Contemporary Experimental War of the Worlds – Riverland Youth Theatre, D'Faces and Arena BTS with Jess – BTS with Jess |
| Outstanding Work or Event Within a Festival | Songs Inside World Premiere – Adelaide Film Festival 2024 | Radical Textiles – Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide Festival 2024 The Art of Work is a Work of Art, by Kim Munro and collaborators – Vitalstatistix, History Festival 2025 |
| Outstanding Work or Event Outside a Festival | Adhocracy – 15th Anniversary – Vitalstatistix | HIGH – No Strings Attached Gathering Light – JamFactory |
| Outstanding Collaboration | nyilamum song cycles – Dr Lou Bennett AM, Paul Stanhope, and the Australian String Quartet, in association with Binung Boorigan | The Lensical – Restless Dance Theatre, Michelle Heaven, and Ben Cobham, Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation, Southern Adelaide Local Health Network Chihuly in the Botanic Garden – Adelaide Botanic Garden, State Herbarium of South Australia, and JamFactory |
| Outstanding Contribution by an Organisation or Group | Gray Street Workshop | Cirkidz |
| Geoff Crowhurst Memorial Award | Matthew Ives | - |
| Frank Ford Memorial Young Achiever Award | Katherine Sortini | - |
| Stevie Gadlabarti Goldsmith Memorial Award | Umeewarra Aboriginal Media Association | - |
| Premier's Award for Lifetime Achievement | Lesley Newton | - |