Bafta has created a prize forfeiture process, in place from 2025 onwards, which will allow awards to be rescinded in specific circumstances.
The process has been put in place in light of the scandal surrounding BBC newsreader Huw Edwards’ arrest and subsequent conviction for child pornography offences.
“Earlier this year we were shocked by the news of the former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards’ arrest and subsequent conviction for child pornography offences,” said a letter from Sara Putt, Bafta chair, send to Bafta membership today. “He won seven individual Bafta Cymru awards for television presenting between 2002 and 2017. Following the news, deeply complex questions were raised regarding historic awards won by individuals and specifically, whether awards won in competition should ever be removed retrospectively.”
In 2021, Noel Clarke had his Bafta membership suspended and his Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award also suspended following allegations of serious misconduct.
To-date, a BAFTA competitive award has not been rescinded once presented, and Edwards has not had to forfeit his Bafta Cymru awards.
“We are very clear that our honorary awards such as our fellowships, special awards and outstanding contribution awards can be revoked because they are gifted by the academy – which means they are not ‘won’ in competition. However, it was not clear what the principles governing competitive awards were,” stated Putt’s letter.
A review, conducted by committee chairs, the board of trustees and the Bafta team, was initiated to establish a clearer framework for how to respond to situations in competitive categories, using the UK government’s honours system as a starting point.
Instances in which an award will be forfeited include entries rendered ineligible through proven dishonesty; if a television programme, film, game, or individual entrant is proven to have used duplicitous and/or illegal methods in the course of making their work; and an instance of a winner being convicted of a serious criminal offence resulting in a prison sentence of three months or more.
The decision to revoke would not be automatic, and would include a review process by Bafta.
The letter noted: “Bafta is an arts charity, not an investigative body. Our review would only be initiated once any proper third-party process completes.
“We thought very carefully about whether we could try to apply this criteria retrospectively now, or introduce a moratorium. Our Awards span the last 78 years. Where would we reasonably draw the line? Could we choose to only look back one, five or 50 years? We agreed it would be impossible to do this properly. So we will look forward and apply this criteria to all competitive awards presented from 2025 onwards.
“No solution is perfect and there may be instances where the outcomes of this review are tested in the future, so we will review these principles and processes along with our other awards rules every year.”