Global Talent: arts and culture prizes
Updated 21 April 2026
Applying as the winner of an eligible prestigious prize for arts and culture
If you hold a prize from the list below, you can bypass the endorsement stage of the Global Talent visa route and go directly to the visa stage.
These prizes have been recommended by and agreed with the Global Talent endorsing body. Prizes included must be open to all nationalities and winners must be determined by experts or peers, rather than a public vote.
To be eligible for this route:
- the prize must be named on the list below; other prizes awarded by the same institutions are not eligible - for example, if you hold a Georg Forster Research award given by the Humboldt Foundation this is not accepted, only the Humboldt Research Award is
- you must be the named winner of the prize - prestigious awards for specific works, such as an award-winning film, or prizes which recognise a whole organisation rather than individuals are not included on the list
- if you won as part of a group, the prize must specifically name you as a member of that group - for example, prizes awarded to joint researchers recognised for the same work are acceptable if each researcher is named by the institution awarding the prize
- the prize must not have been withdrawn or suspended
You can have held the prize for a number of years - there is no time limit, as long as the prize has not been withdrawn or suspended you are eligible to apply.
If you’ve won an eligible prestigious prize from the list below, the Home Office will look at publicly available information (such as the prize organisation’s website) to confirm that you’ve won. You’ll only be asked for evidence of your win if they cannot find this from trusted publicly available information.
If you hold a prize or research award which is not named on the list, or you have contributed to a prize winning piece of work but are not specifically named on the prize, you may still qualify for an endorsement from one of the Global Talent endorsing bodies.
| Qualifying prize | Name of awarding body |
|---|---|
| Bessie – Outstanding Performer | |
| Booker Prize | |
| Brit Awards – International Artist of the Year | |
| Brit Awards – International Female | |
| Brit Awards – International Male | |
| Critics Circle Award – Best Male | |
| Critics Circle Award – Best Female | |
| Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize | |
| Grammy Award – Lifetime Achievement Award | |
| Hugo Boss Prize | |
| ICMA – Artist of the year | |
| ICMA – Lifetime Achievement Award | |
| International Booker Prize | |
| International Chopin Piano Competition – First Prize | |
| International Dublin Literary Award | |
| MOBO – Best International Act | |
| Olivier Award – Best Actor | |
| Olivier Award – Best Actress | |
| Olivier Award – Best Director | |
| Olivier Award – Best Original Score or New Orchestrations | |
| Olivier Award – Best Theatre Choreographer | |
| Olivier Award – Outstanding Achievement in Dance | |
| Olivier Award – Outstanding Achievement in Music | |
| Olivier Award – Outstanding Achievement in Opera | |
| Queen Elisabeth Competition – Cello - First Prize | |
| Queen Elisabeth Competition – Piano - First Prize | |
| Queen Elisabeth Competition – Violin - First Prize | |
| Queen Elisabeth Competition – Voice - First Prize | |
| Tchaikovsky Prize – Grand Prix | |
| Tony Award – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | |
| Tony Award – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | |
| Tony Award – Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | |
| Tony Award – Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | |
| Tony Award – Best Direction of a Play | |
| Tony Award– Best Direction of a Musical | |
| Tony Award – Best Choreography | |
| Tony Award – Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre | |
| Van Cliburn International Piano Competition – Gold Medallist | |
| Wihuri Sibelius Prize | |
| WOMEX – Artist Award |