The Japan Art Association and their UK international advisor, Christopher Patten, have announced the five winners of the Praemium Imperiale Awards: Scottish painter Peter Doig for painting, Serbian performance artist Marina Abramović for sculpture, Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura for architecture, Hungarian pianist András Schiff for music and Belgian dancer and choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker for theatre/ film. Each laureate will receive an honorarium of 15 million yen (approximately £25,000).
Alongside the awards, the Association has awarded its 5 million yen Grant for Young Artists to the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain (NYT). Founded in London in 1956, the NYT encourages young people from all backgrounds to gather and use theatre as a tool for social change.
Since 1989, the annual Praemium Imperiale Awards has recognised artists who have had major international impact on the fields of painting, sculpture, architecture, music and theatre/film. The awards are given by the Japan Art Association under the patronage of Prince Hitachi, younger brother of the emperor emeritus of Japan.
