LONDON—A new awards ceremony designed to “celebrate excellence across the full breadth of the U.K. adult industry” is slated to make its debut October 14 at Elektrowerkz in London.
The inaugural awards will be decided by "an independent jury panel operating alongside verified public voting in a transparent 40/60 weighted system,” an event representative said.
The event spans 20-plus categories organized across three “pillars”—Performance, Business and Industry—and covers performers, content creators, platforms, retailers, venues, agencies, products and advocacy organizations.
“The Velvet Awards jury comprises up to 15 members selected for seniority, experience and breadth of service across the U.K. adult industry. Jury members access a secure, 2FA-protected portal to conduct blind scoring across four criteria: Quality, impact, innovation and professionalism, each rated 1-10. All scores are Z-score normalized to account for scoring variation between jurors. Conflict-of-interest declarations are mandatory,” the event rep explained.
Nominations are now open at velvetawards.co.uk, with an eligibility window running from January 1, 2025, through September 30. The nominations period ends in June, with fan voting to begin in July.
Public voting will account for 60 percent of each winner’s final result, with the remaining 40 percent determined by the jury. The Industry Champion Award will be selected entirely by the jury panel. The methodology is published in full on the event website.
Highlighted award categories include:
· Performance Pillar (eight categories): Best Female Performer, Best Male Performer, Best Non-Binary/Trans Performer, Best Content Creator, Best New Performer, Best Director/Producer, Best Photographer, Best Hair/Makeup Artist.
· Business Pillar (seven categories): Best Sex Work Platform, Best Adult Venue, Best Adult Retail Experience, Best Webcam Platform, Best Agency/Management, Best Website, Best Supporting Services.
· Industry Pillar (five or more categories): Best Education/Advocacy Initiative, Best Lifestyle Product, Innovation Award, Industry Champion Award (jury-selected), Headline Sponsor Award.
The planned ceremony will accommodate 300 guests with a red carpet reception, seated awards presentation and live entertainment, followed by an afterparty for 800-plus attendees at the same venue. Early Bird tickets are on sale now.
Velvet Compass Consulting, a London-based boutique consultancy specializing in the adult industry, will produce the event. For more information, contact Paul Botha at [email protected] or visit The Velvet Awards website.
