New Year Honours 2023
John Akomfrah
Knight Bachelor
Director
Knight Bachelor · 2023
“For services to the Arts.”
Commander of the Order of the British Empire · 2017
“For services to Art and Film Making.”
Officer of the Order of the British Empire · 2008
“Director. For services to the Film Industry.”
Timeline
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
Director. For services to the Film Industry.
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Recognised for
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Wikipedia
London Gazette notice
Knights Bachelor
Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood
St. James’s Palace, London SW1
31 December 2022
The KING has been graciously pleased to signify his intention of conferring the honour of Knighthood upon the undermentioned:
John AKOMFRAH C.B.E.
Visual Artist
For services to the Arts.
Source: The London Gazette, issue 63918 · Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0
London Gazette notice
Order of the British Empire
Civil Division
Central Chancery of the Orders of Knighthood
St. James’s Palace, London SW1
17 June 2017
THE QUEEN has been graciously pleased, on the occasion of the Celebration of Her Majesty’s Birthday, to give orders for the following promotions in, and appointments to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire:
C.B.E.
To be Ordinary Commanders of the Civil Division of the said Most Excellent Order:
John AKOMFRAH O.B.E.
For services to Art and Film Making.
Source: The London Gazette, issue 61961 · Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0
Location
See other people honoured from London →
Location comes from the Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list, not the Gazette notice, and isn’t available for every honour.
In context
Each honour in context
Role, region and citation as recorded for each award.
Officer of the Order of the British Empire
New Year Honours 2008- Role at the time
- Director
- Region
- London
“Director. For services to the Film Industry.”
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Birthday Honours 2017- Region
- London
“For services to Art and Film Making.”
Knight Bachelor
New Year Honours 2023- Region
- London, Greater London
“For services to the Arts.”
Mark the occasion
Commemorate John's honour
Celebrate this recognition with a keepsake worthy of the achievement - free to share, beautifully made to keep.
New Year Honours 2023
John Akomfrah
Knight Bachelor
“For services to the Arts.”
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New Year Honours 2023
John Akomfrah
Knight Bachelor
“For services to the Arts.”
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New Year Honours 2023
John Akomfrah
Knight Bachelor
“For services to the Arts.”
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In context
The bigger picture
How common is this award?
The Knight Bachelor was awarded 19 times in the New Year Honours List 2023 — about 1% of the list.
In their area
85 Knight Bachelor recipients are from Greater London.
How widely is this recognised?
4,039 people have been recognised for Arts & Culture.
Counts reflect the 2000–2026 honours lists in our records; earlier years are not yet included.
Honoured alongside them
Others awarded the Knight Bachelor in the New Year Honours 2023
Brian May,
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Surrey
“For services to Music and to Charity.”
Christopher Bryant
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Porth, Mid Glamorgan
“For Political and Public Service.”
Grayson Perry
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
London, Greater London
“For services to the Arts.”
Ian Bauckham
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
“For services to Education.”
Ivan Menezes
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
London, Greater London
“For services to Business and to Equality.”
James Appleby
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Manchester, Greater Manchester
“For services to Medicine and Mental Health.”
John Crabtree
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Crowle, Worcestershire
“For services to Sport and to the community in the West Midlands.”
Julian Lewis
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Southampton, Hampshire
“For Political and Public Service.”
Luke Rittner
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
London, Greater London
“For services to Dance and the Arts.”
Martin Read
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Bishops Waltham, Hampshire
“For services to Industry and for Public and Voluntary Service.”
Mayur Lakhani
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Rothley, Leicestershire
“For services to General Practice.”
Norman Skeoch
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
“For services to the Financial Sector.”
Peter Mathieson
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
“For services to Higher Education.”
Professor Bogdanor
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
London, Greater London
“For services to Political Science.”
Professor Chapman
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
“For services to Global Fusion Energy.”
Robin Millar
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
London, Greater London
“For services to Music, to People with Disabilities, to Young People and to Charity.”
Roland Keating
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
London, Greater London
“For services to Literature.”
William Robertson
PersonKnight Bachelor · 2023
Elgin, Moray
“For services to the Construction Industry and to Charity in Scotland.”
In the same field
Others recognised for Arts & Culture
Across the 2000–2026 honours lists in our records, 4,039 people have been recognised for Arts & Culture. See the full list →
Malorie Blackman
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
London, Greater London
“For services to Literature.”
Julia Catherine Donaldson
PersonDame Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Horsham, West Sussex
“For services to Literature.”
Cerys Matthews
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Bourne End, Buckinghamshire
“For services to Music.”
Jonathan Davies
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Swansea, West Glamorgan
“For services to People with Cancer and to Broadcasting.”
Mukesh Sharma
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Newtownabbey, County Antrim
“For services to Heritage.”
Alice Coote
PersonCommander Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Suffolk
“For services to the Arts.”
Gabrielle Logan
PersonOfficer Of The Order Of The British Empire · 2026
Buckinghamshire
“For services to Sports Broadcasting and to Charity.”
Daniel Calvert
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
“For services to the Culinary Arts in Japan and to UK/Japan Culinary Relations.”
Richard Starrs
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Stockton on Tees, North Yorkshire
“For services to Heritage.”
Jennifer Rose-miller
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Nairn, Nairn
“For services to Local Heritage and to the community in Nairnshire.”
Rita Lewis (helen Hopkins)
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Carmarthen, Dyfed
“For services to Music and Music Education.”
Paul Kitching
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Wimborne, Dorset
“For services to Museums and to the community in Tring, Hertfordshire.”
Adam Joolia
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Brighton, East Sussex
“For services to Young People and to Music.”
Julia Jones
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Carmarthenshire, Dyfed
“For services to Music.”
Pauline Hough
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Nantwich, Cheshire
“For services to Theatre and to the community in Nantwich.”
Margaret Irvine
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Birsay, Orkney
“For services to Drama and to the community in Orkney.”
Melanie Houldershaw
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Oxford, Oxfordshire
“For services to Local Theatre and Choir.”
Brian Heald
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Chester, Cheshire
“For services to Music and to the community in Chester, Cheshire.”
Shirley Henderson (shirley Mcgill)
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Aberdeen, City of Aberdeen
“For services to Drama.”
Rex Freeman
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire
“For services to the Arts and to the community in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.”
James Fraser
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Dunblane, Stirling and Falkirk
“For services to Tourism and Heritage in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.”
John Fannon
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Weymouth, Dorset
“For services to Heritage.”
Helen Fannon
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Weymouth, Dorset
“For services to Heritage.”
Daniel Crow
PersonBritish Empire Medal · 2026
Southampton, Hampshire
“For services to Artists and to Arts and Heritage.”
Source & provenance
Where this record comes from
Knight Bachelor · 2023
London Gazette (official record), issue 63918, notice 4245743. View the official notice ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (New Year Honours List 2023).
Published 30 December 2022.
Commander of the Order of the British Empire · 2017
London Gazette (official record), issue 61961, notice 2804113. View the official notice ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (Birthday Honours List 2017).
Published 16 June 2017.
Officer of the Order of the British Empire · 2008
London Gazette (official record), published supplement. View the issue ↗
Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list (New Year Honours List 2008).
Published 1 January 2008.
Location (London) comes from the Cabinet Office / gov.uk published honours list, not the Gazette notice, which records no recipient home location.
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