The second ever Black and Irish Gala awards are set to take place at the Radisson Blu, St. Helens this weekend, Saturday, December 3rd.

The ceremony, now in its second year, aims to highlight and celebrate the achievements and successes of the Black and mixed-race Irish community. 16 awards will be given out across a range of areas including business, sports, education and content creation.

The black-tie event has been in the making for a little over four months now, having opened their nominations back in September, their shortlisting process began in October. Voting is open to the public in the final 10 days to determine the overall winner.

2022 has been a notable year for many Black and Irish stars, with shortlisted nominees including Deborah Somorin, The WYHA Podcast, Dami Hope, Israel Olatunde, Tolü Makay and many more. Dami and his fellow nominees will attend the red carpet event where the awards will be announced.

The award’s attendees can expect an unforgettable night, complete with star performances throughout.

Established in 2020 after the tragic death of George Floyd, Black and Irish are an organisation set out to highlight and celebrate the identity of Black and mixed-race Irish people. Their mission is to bring the authentic discussion back to Ireland and engage with the wider Irish society by coming together to spread awareness around the world of the experiences, struggles and successes from within the community.

Speaking to RTE of the awards last year, co-founder Leon Diop said: "We wanted to make people feel that their work is important because it really is. We have put together a list of ten things we think are key pieces in our community and culture, like activist of the year, entrepreneur of the year, personality of the year."

"The platform has had a positive impact on a lot of people. For the black community, it’s a platform that shows that they are not alone in their struggles."

Awards & Nominees

Podcast of the Year (Sponsored by RTE 2FM) - WYHA Podcast - If I Speak - Charge it to the Game
Activist of the Year - Blezzing Dada - Deborah Somorin - Destiny Ayo Vaughn
Educator of the Year - Dr Ebun Joseph - Dr Monika Peres - Muinteoir Chukwurah
Content Creator of the Year - Dami Hope - Billykiss - Victor Alfred
Personality of the Year - Dami Hope - Gody Dongo - Vanessa Ogbonna
Community Star of the Year (Sponsored by Intel) - Blezzing Dada - Mick Abidoye - Sello
Entrepreneur of the Year - Demilade Adeniran - Manny the Barber - Michael Ayobami
Business of the Year (Sponsored by Gong) - Hair by Adii Studios - Shades of Beauty -Sparkles Cocktails
Community Organisation of the Year - Licence to Party - Open Circle - Created in Eire
Sports star of the Year (Female) - Rhasidat Adeleke - Evelyn Igharo - Yemi Talabi
Sports star of the Year (Male) - Israel Olatunde - Paddy Abako - Kevin Mayo
Actor of the Year - Esther Ayo James - Jessica Okakpu - Florence Adebambo
Female Artist of the Year - Tolü Makay - EFÉ - Toshin
Male Artist of the Year - Offica - Sello - Plantain Papi
Outstanding Contribution to Music - DJ Jesse - Mixed by Simba - Nesto Productions