Advancing Race Equality Awards

Inside the 2023 Ceremony

A packed Great Hall where winners declared racism a solvable policy issue, not an inevitability.

Ceremony snapshot

Anchored in border-rights organising

The 2023 ceremony doubled down on migrant leadership, showcasing youth MCs, bilingual award citations, and an on-stage pledge to accelerate policy change.

Total attendees

420 guests

Every table sponsored to host youth organisers and grassroots groups.

Nominations received

68 stories

Entries from councils, schools, sports clubs, and campaign coalitions.

Cross-border partners

15 organisations

Joint delegation from Derry/Strabane, Donegal, and Belfast.

Winners 2023

Spotlight on the awardees

Lifetime Impact

Dr. Pauline Omo-Agwodike

Founder of the Border Kinship initiative supporting families across the Common Travel Area.

Emerging Leader

Junior Okorie

Led a year-long anti-racism residency with North West schools.

Creative Practice

Echo Echo Intercultural Dance

Commissioned a new piece amplifying Traveller and Roma dancers.

Creative Disruption

AfricaFest Producers Guild

Delivered a city-wide festival telling Black feminist stories.

Programme flow

Opening procession

Youth and elders processed together carrying fabrics from Sierra Leone, Syria, and the Philippines to signal shared leadership.

Maeve Osei

Nominees co-presented a live CTA policy briefing watched by MLAs and councillors tuning in online.

Musical dedication

A capella trio Sistren dedicated their performance to migrant health workers on the frontline.

The final reveal

The Community Champion award was handed over by 2021 winner Micheál Ó Fearghaíl with his daughter beside him.

Media coverage

Derry Journal photo story

Front-page spread capturing all awardees and guests.

BBC Radio Foyle interview

Live interview with organisers on the impact of the awards.

Donegal Daily feature

Cross-border focus on winners and Common Travel Area advocacy.

Catch up

Rewatch 2022 or share the highlights

Every ceremony builds on the last. Explore the livestream archive or invite partners to back the 2024 programme.

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See who carried the torch in 2023

Relive the next ceremony and witness how the movement scaled across the North West.