Michaela Coel and Sir Trevor McDonald are to receive special awards at the Visionary Honours ceremony, which celebrates social impact in the arts.
The 11 award categories aim to recognise the impact that people in the media, arts or literature spheres can have on raising awareness around important social issues across communities.
Coel is to receive an Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of her work as an actor, writer, director and producer in the past few years, which includes her award-winning drama series I May Destroy You.
We are excited to announce our nominations for the 2022 Visionary Honours taking place on 1st March hosted by Sir Lenny Henry.Vote for the work or person you feel has made the biggest social impact, and you could win a pair of VIP tickets.https://t.co/1kzjtjbCdP
Good luck ✌️ pic.twitter.com/vDUnlK3pSL
— Visionary Arts Foundation (@VisionaryArtsUK) January 24, 2022
Sir Trevor will pick up the prestigious Legacy Honour for his career as a journalist, newsreader and presenter over the last six decades, and is expected to attend the ceremony to receive the award.
Previous winners of the Legacy Honour include Irish singer-songwriter Sir Bob Geldof and former South African president Nelson Mandela.
Hosted by Sir Lenny Henry for the second time, the Visionary Honours awards celebrate activists, creators and community leaders who inspire positive change through their platforms.
The host said: “I am thrilled to be returning to host the Visionary Honours.
“These awards are about shining a light on writers, directors and producers who are creating work that is reflective of the diverse society we live in and telling stories that can have a positive impact on our communities.”
The ceremony was postponed last year due to coronavirus restrictions, therefore nominations for the 2022 awards are based on a selection of work released in the UK from June 1 2020 to November 14 2021.
Climate activist Greta Thunburg’s 2001 documentary exploring global warming, A Year To Change The World, is among the nominees for the documentary of the year award.
Thunberg said it was a “great honour” for the documentary series to be nominated, adding: “The climate crisis is a defining issue of our time, and with the help of BBC Studios I was able to explore the facts and share the latest understanding of the science with a wide audience.
“I hope more people will hear the messages from scientists and experts about how little time we have left to fix our fragile earth.”
It will go up against a number of star-studded documentaries including Diversity star Ashley Banjo’s Britain In Black And White, Race, Pop & Power by Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne and musician Will I Am’s The Blackprint.
In a year of success for rapper Little Simz after she won her first Brit award in early this month, her track Introvert has been nominated for song of the year award, alongside work by Jorja Smith, Joy Crookes, Celeste, Keedron Bryant and Enny.
The ceremony will take place on March 1 at Bafta 195, in London’s West End and will host a range of performers and special guests, including musician Enny, Strictly Come Dancing winner Rose Ayling-Ellis and activist, TV presenter and model Katie Piper.
Poet Sophia Thakur will also perform at the ceremony and singer Ella Henderson is expected to give a rendition of her new single Brave on the night.
RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Krystal Versace, actor Hugh Quarshie, and Apprentice star Tim Campbell will also be present.