2023 Highlights Reel
An unforgettable evening…

Rewarding the unsung heroes…
From grassroots causes to the trailblazing activists, the Gaydio Pride Awards is the first of its kind – rewarding the work that goes on behind the scenes to better the lives of LGBTQ+ people. In 2023, ten awards were dished out amongst performances from Miggy Dela Rosa, Danny Beard, Raye and Sigala with over 500 in attendance.

Independent Judging Process
Gaydio received thousands of public nominations in ten categories that deliver Pride, in all its forms, across the UK. In 2023, our four independent judges, Lady Phyll, Carl Austin-Behan, Ste Dunn and Danielle St James devised the shortlist and winners.

Commercial Allies
Without support from our 2023 partners, rewarding those who need it most would not be possible. From award category sponsors to vendors and suppliers, partner businesses are an essential part of the Gaydio Pride Awards. Want to get involved? Drop us a line!
Don’t just take our word for it…
– Russell T Davies

The talk of the town…

On Air
Gaydio broadcasts to over 535,000 weekly listeners across the UK. On FM in Manchester and Brighton and DAB in London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leeds, Sheffield, Portsmouth, Cardiff and Bristol.
Since the event was announced in October, listeners were reminded to nominate, buy tickets and engage in every show in co-branded live reads, promotional trails and bespoke content activations.
On Socials
Collectively, Gaydio has over 200,000 followers on our social media channels. In the week following the awards, engagement on Gaydio’s Insta had increased by 998% with 103% increase on content reach.
On the evening, we partnered with Sync to deliver next level behind-the-scenes content, including drag race star Black Peppa hosting the purple carpet and backstage interviews with star performers from our Gaydio presenters.
National & Regional Coverage
In a first for Gaydio, we partnered with Scoop PR & Marketing to deliver a press strategy that covered the launch of the awards, the shortlist and on the night.
Coverage of the shortlist reveal was featured in over 30 regional titles including Manchester Evening News, Brighton & Hove’s The Argus, The Derbyshire Times and Edinburgh News, cementing Gaydio in the local LGBTQ+ communities we serve.
Following the event, Gaydio received write-ups from national titles including the Daily Mail, The Mirror and The Metro with quotes from and pictures of esteemed guests on the purple carpet.
Media including The Mirror and The Manc covered the awards ceremony on their social media too with presenters interviewing guests and sneak peeks behind the scenes.
Combined daily circulation of each publication exceeds 1.1 million people with combined following of over 3 million.
A snapshot of the night…
2023 Winners

LGBTQ+ Employee Network of the Year
Birmingham Women’s & Children’s NHS Trust Pride Network

LGBTQ+ Sports Club or Team of the Year
TRUK FC

Grassroots Pride of the Year with MSL
Trans Pride, Brighton

Major Pride of the Year with Squealing Pig
Manchester Pride, Pride in London, Birmingham Pride, Brighton and Hove Pride

Volunteer of the Year
Joel Mordi

LGBTQ+ Champion with Pride 365
Janusz Domagala

Event or Venue of the Year
Filthy Gorgeous, The Brewers, Manchester

Charity of the Year
George House Trust

Music Artist of the Year
Cat Burns

Lifetime Contribution Award
Peter Tatchell
2023 Community Panel

Danielle St James
Danielle St James is a prominent figure within the trans+ community in the UK, alongside her media work and other projects, she Chief Exec at Not A Phase, a charity working towards a brighter future for trans+ adults across the UK.
As a founder of the charity back in 2020, Danielle has driven the organisation to success and notoriety in the charity sector in the UK. She is heavily involved in all aspects of it’s operations, splitting her time between the day-to-day duties of the role and working with brands and organisations in all sectors on improving their trans+ inclusion and use of trans+ people for visibility.

Lady Phyll
Phyll Opoku-Gyimah is the nucleus of the award-winning celebration and protest that is UK Black Pride. Widely known as Lady Phyll – partly due to her decision to reject an MBE in the New Year’s Honours’ list to protest Britain’s role in formulating anti-LGBTQI+ penal codes across its empire – she is also the executive director of Kaleidoscope Trust, an organisation working to uphold the human rights of LGBTQI+ people around the world. Lady Phyll is excluded from voting in the Grassroots Pride category.

Carl Austin-Behan
Dr Carl Austin-Behan OBE DL is a Deputy Lieutenant of Greater Manchester and former LGBT Advisor to the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham. Currently Greater Manchester’s LGBTQ+ Community Ambassador This role sees him visiting schools, youth groups and workplaces to promote diversity, equality, inclusion and respect. Carl was one of the last people to be discharged from the RAF in 1997 due to his sexuality although having an exemplary service record. He joined Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service in 1998 and left 1999, then went on to win Mr Gay UK 2001.
Having served on Manchester City Council representing Burnage from 2011 – 2018, was lead member for LGBT issues within the City Council. Carl was the first openly gay Lord Mayor of Manchester 2016 – 2017. Also owns his own Cleaning Company VA Clean – working with Property Management Companies specialising in the communal areas of apartment blocks.
Carl has devoted himself to LGBTQ+ advocacy. Ambassador for The Proud Trust, George House Trust, Broughton House; Patron of Contact Theatre, Manchester Pride chorus; Trustee for Fighting with Pride (LGBT veterans charity run by veterans. The first and only lived-experience charity addressing the health and wellbeing of LGBT+ veterans.) he passionately promotes diversity, equality and inclusion within our communities. Carl was awarded the OBE in the 2020 New Year’s Honors list for services to charity and LGBTQ+ Equality & Inclusion.

Ste Dunn
Ste Dunn (he/him) is a business consultant with a key focus on supporting SMEs, and the third sector to achieve their goals and aspirations through his business development, customer and process improvement, and portfolio, project management skills and experience. Ste is also a freelance Creative Producer with successful delivery of small and large events, and a proven track record in operational delivery in the entertainment and production industry working with freelance artists, performers, and musicians.
He is also entering into his fifth year as Director of Northern Pride, after one of their most successful periods in the charity’s history as in 2022 the charity hosted UK Pride, a fitting tribute to 16 years of successful events which have grown in terms of attendance, support and stature. One of his first activities as Director was to launch a new brand and firmly spell out Northern Pride’s aims and ambitions, under the titles of Protect, Promote and Provide. The new logo paid homage to one of the iconic attractions of the region, The Angel of the North, which was given the seal of approval by its creator, Sir Antony Gormley. The new look Northern Pride has been warmly received by the LGBTQ+ community, supporters and business across the UK.
On a personal level, Ste is strongly committed to improving education and awareness around LGBTQ+ topics to ensure future generations are accepting of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics. Ste Dunn is excluded from voting in the Grassroots Pride category.
Get Involved
Gaydio are now looking for businesses who want to get involved in 2024’s awards ceremony. From sponsorships to suppliers, we’d love to chat. Click here to get in touch with Ellis, Gaydio’s Commercial Director.