Submit a nomination

The ABTT Awards are one of the Association’s flagship events and we are very pleased to be able to take the opportunity to acknowledge those people and products making a difference to our Industry!

Going into a production week with Martin by your side is to know that you have chosen the best. The level of preparation and detail he brings to a project is truly impressive. He protects you from the worst and allows you to get on and light the show whilst he sorts out the rest. Simply put: he is the best and deserves this recognition.

Neil Austen about Technician of the Year Award winner, Martin Chisnell.

ABTT Technician of the Year Award

The Technician of the Year Award is one of the most important accolades the Association bestows, as it recognises the achievement of an individual at the heart of their career but who consistently delivers technical excellence.

Open to ABTT members and non-members alike, recipients have usually pursued full employment in a backstage or production management role for at least 10 years and have predominantly worked on the presentation of live performance in places of entertainment or on theatrical experiences in non-conventional spaces.

Their qualities will include not only a mastery of their chosen discipline but also recognition as an expert practitioner by their peers, having achieved and promoted best practice throughout their career: in doing so they will have made a significant contribution to technical excellence in the delivery of world class performance.

This award recognises an individual who is in mid-career and has worked with an industry leading level of technical excellence at all times. This Award is usually presented annually at the ABTT Theatre Show Awards in June.

Award Specification

The recipient of the ABTT Technician of the Year Award will normally meet all the following criteria:

1. They will have been pursuing full-employment in a backstage or production management career for a minimum of 10 years.

2. They will have predominantly worked in the presentation of live performance in places of entertainment: i.e. on theatre, dance or opera productions in theatres and opera houses or on theatrical experiences in non-conventional spaces.

3. They will have achieved a mastery of their chosen discipline(s) or craft(s).

4. They will be an expert practitioner.

5. They will have consistently delivered at a level of excellence throughout their career.

6. They will have sought to promote best practice and technical excellence while delivering world class performance.

Previous winners (since 2002) include:

Martin Chisnell (2019)
Malcolm Glanville (2018)
Charlotte Lockyer (2017)
Steve Huttly (2016)
Gavin Pell (2015)
Peter Lambert (2014)
Ben Sandford (2013)
Andy Brown (2012)
Alex Hitchcock (2011)
David Draude (2010)
John Tapster (2009)
Simon Stone (2008)
Othman ‘Hoffman’ McGregor-Read (2007)
Antony Bridges (2006, awarded posthumously)
Stuart Crane (2005)
Fraser Hall (2004)
Andy Voller (2003)
Nick Ware (2002)

How to nominate:

Please send your nominations to the ABTT office at office@abtt.org.uk in London and include your contact details and why you think the nominee would merit the award.

ABTT Spanner Award

The award commemorates the late Philip Windsor who was a long serving member of the ABTT NorthNet committee. During a stay in hospital Philip noticed that the reading lamp beside the bed was loose and would not stay in the correct position. He asked his wife, when next she visited, to bring a spanner so that he could tighten the offending light, a lighting man to the very end.

Award Specification:

This award is made on an as and when basis and celebrates someone who goes the extra mile and makes an exceptional contribution to technical theatre.
The nominee does not need to be a member of the ABTT and can work in a professional or amateur role.
The award consists of a chrome plated BAHCO adjustable spanner mounted a hardwood plinth with an inscribed plaque
The recipient of the award will also receive 1 year free membership of the ABTT.

Previous winners of the ABTT Spanner Award are:

How to nominate:

Please send your nominations to the ABTT office at office@abtt.org.uk in London and include your contact details and why you think the nominee would merit the award.

Nominating an Individual or a Product for Theatre Show Awards

The Association of British Theatre Technicians annual Theatre Awards take place in June every year at the annual ABTT Theatre Show. These Awards include “Engineering product of the year”, "Sound product of the year", " Lighting product of the year", "Widget product of the year", "Stand of the Year" and "Technician of the Year" too.

More information on the Theatre Show Awards and how to nominate can be found here.

ABTT Fellows

The ABTT only bestows its top honour, an ABTT Fellowship to those who have truly excelled in assisting the Industry.

To nominate someone for a fellowship you can do so by emailing the ABTT Office with an explanation of who you wish to nominate and why you believe they should be given this recognition at office@abtt.org.uk