BRIT Awards: Winners encouraged to share double trophy as “act of kindness”

The trophy for this year’s BRIT Awards has been revealed – and it gives nominees the chance to share their award with someone close to them.

Award recipients will be given a double trophy, which consists of a larger, colourful statuette, as well as a smaller metallic statuette, and have been “encouraged to award the second smaller trophy on to someone else.”

It has been designed by artists Es Devlin and Yinka Ilori, who said that the spirit of lockdown had inspired their original design.

“The idea came from the experience of lockdown, where your neighbour you’ve lived beside for six years and never say hello to suddenly gave you flowers, foods, acts of kindness,” said Ilori.

“I wanted to capture that…I would describe it as two artists from different disciplines, different inspirations, coming together to design a trophy based around the idea of giving something back – acts of kindness.”

Devlin added: “Yinka and I thought that the best award that one could receive would be agency to award another…Each recipient is invited to award the second trophy to someone they consider worthy – it might be recognition – or it might be someone that does something entirely unrelated to music.”

This year’s BRIT Awards, held at The O2, have been chosen as part of a series of government pilot events, permitting a live audience of 2,500 people. Free tickets have also been offered to frontline workers.

Fans won’t be asked to wear masks or socially distance during the event, but will have to provide a negative test before being granted entry.

News of the trophy comes after it was confirmed that Olivia Rodrigo will join Dua Lipa, Arlo Parks, Griff, Headie One and more on the list of BRITs performers.

Dua Lipa is competing in three categories, while Griff has been revealed as this year’s Rising Star award recipient. Find the full list of 2021 nominees here.