Awards
The Golden Plume Award, The Technical Award & The Denis Bartlett Award
Bawds makes three main awards each year:
The Golden Plume Award for best actor
The Technical Award for best non‑acting support
The Denis Bartlett Award for best supporting actor
Other occasional Awards are made when appropriate for outstanding activities or support.
The Golden Plume Award
The Golden Plume Award for acting is awarded annually by the Members of the Bawds Committee, who are not eligible for nomination and vote independently of each other.
Votes are collated by an independent auditor and the winner is announced at the Bawds AGM.
The 2025 nominees
The 2025 winner
Previous winners
- 2025 Lucy Green
Cold Comfort Farm (Flora Poste) - 2024 Scott Brindle
A Christmas Carol (Ebenezer Scooge) - 2023 Richard Brown
Shakespeare Shorts (Shylock) - 2022 Tim Leach
Tom Jones (Tom Jones) - 2021 Catherine Walston
Lady Macbeth (Supednatural Shakespeare) - 2020 Ian Favell
Special Podcast award - 2019 Barry Brown
Crimes Against Christmas (The Duke & Others), Separate Tables (Major Pollock) & The Wind in the Willows (Albert) - 2018 Tim Drummond
War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast (Orson Welles), Waiting For Lefty (Florence)
- 2017 Alex Ciupka
The Count of Monte Cristo (Haydee & Eugenie), Comic Potential (Jaycee Triplethree) - 2016 Alan Hay
One Man, Two Guvnors (Francis Henshall) - 2015Ian Nutt
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Puck) - 2014 Sandra Birnie
Barefoot in the Park (Ethel Banks), The Old Curiosity Shop (Mrs Nubbles) - 2013 Mandi Cattell
Calendar Girls (Chris), Wyrd Sisters (Nanny Ogg) - 2012 Julian Cooper
Terra Nova (Roald Amundsen) - 2011 Fran Burgoyne
Absent Friends (Evelyn), The Cherry Orchard (Anya), Nicholas Nickleby (Fanny Squeers)
- 2010 Meg Dixon
Under Milk Wood (Mrs Ogmore Pritchard), Amy Wonderful Amy (Amy Johnson) - 2009 Barry Brown
The Lady in the Van (Alan Bennett 2), Three Men in a Boat (Uncle Podger & Others) - 2008 Guy Holmes
Valentine’s Night (James), Dick Barton Special Agent (Dick Barton) - 2007 Guy Holmes
Pygmalion (Professor Henry Higgins), David Copperfield (Uriah Heap) - 2006 Suzanne Jones
The Deep Blue Sea (Hester Collyer), And A Nightingale Sang (Helen) - 2005 Declan Lynch
The Man in the Iron Mask (Louis XIV & Philippe), Never The Sinner (Richard Loeb)
The Technical Award
The Technical Award, introduced in 2017, is for an outstanding contribution to a production.
It will be awarded annually by the Members of the Bawds Committee, who are not eligible for nomination, and vote independently of each other. Votes are collated by an independent auditor and the winner is announced at the Bawds AGM.
The 2025 nominees
The 2025 winner
This year’s winner, Sarah Debos was unable to be present.
Previous winners
- 2025 Sarah Deboys
Set design for The Watsons - 2024 Kimberly Tongish
Costumes for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales - 2023 Leah Ward
Lighting for Shakespeare Shorts - 2022 Ian Favell
Music for Alice Through the Looking-Glass
- 2021 Sarah Deboys
Set Design for Present Laughter - 2020 Ian Favell
Special award for Podcast work - 2019 Peter Crofts & The Lolworth Team
Set Construction for Murder in the Cathedral, Separate Tables & The Wind in the Willows
- 2018 Mark Easterfield
Lighting Design for War of the Worlds: The Panic Broadcast - 2017 Hannah Curtis
Make Up & Wigs for Waiting For Lefty, The Count of Monte Cristo, Comic Potential, Emma
The Denis Bartlett Award
The Denis Bartlett Award, in memory of the late Denis Barlett who appeared in many productions for the society and later gave continued support to Bawds, was introduced in 2023, is for Best Supporting Actor/Actress.
It will be awarded annually by the Members of the Bawds Committee, who are not eligible for nomination, and vote independently of each other. Votes are collated by an independent auditor and the winner is announced at the Bawds AGM.
The 2025 nominees
The 2025 winner
Previous winners
- 2025 Rosemary Eason
Cold Comfort Farm (Ada Doom) - 2024 Tim Drummond
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (Palamon & Absolom)
- 2023 Lucy Green
Night of January 16th (Karen Andre) - 2022 Martin Maynard
Alice Through the Looking-Glass (He, Humpty Dumpty & The White Bishop)