Aberdeen Performing Arts won the Inspiring Futures award - sponsored by score - at the 2026 Northern Star Business Awards.
Charitable trust Aberdeen Performing Arts (APA) was founded in 2004 and is the cultural cornerstone of the North-east of Scotland and a vibrant hub contributing to the arts, community and civic life in the region.
APA’s vision is centred on placing creativity and culture at the core of inclusive transformational change in the North-east of Scotland.
The trust manages three city centre venues, His Majesty’s Theatre, Music Hall and Lemon Tree, and delivers six annual festivals, an International Season, a series of learning and community engagement initiatives and has over 416,000 paid visits to its performances every year.
Inspiring Futures NSBA2026 Aberdeen Performing Arts with sponsor Score
Light the Blue is APA’s youth arts festival where young creatives are put in the driving seat, curating a line-up that represents an authentic snapshot of young and emerging talent while creating connections and fun opportunities in indoor and outdoor venues to drive forward and ignite the creativity that Aberdeen and the surrounding area has to offer.
The festival supports wellbeing, builds confidence and empowers the next generation to imagine and lead.
Light the Blue 2025 involved working with 25 different schools including, creating opportunities to be involved in the planning, marketing, events and delivery of a 15-day festival.
Light the Blue gives the trust the opportunity to build meaningful connections with young people over several months leading up to the festival, with young people leading on the programme, marketing, publicity and delivery of Light the Blue.