Actor and playwright Tony Briggs has been awarded the 2005 Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work for his play The Sapphires. The Helpmann Awards, sponsored this year by the Australia Council, annually recognises ‘distinguished artistic achievement and excellence in the many disciplines of Australia's vibrant live performing arts sectors, including musical theatre, contemporary music, opera, classical music, dance and physical theatre.’ The awards, named in honour of Sir Robert Helpmann, were established by the Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA) to recognise, celebrate and promote the national entertainment industry, and are similar to the Tony Awards on Broadway and the Olivier Awards in London. The award was presented to Mr Briggs at a ceremony in Sydney. The Sapphires beat strong competition to win the Best New Australian Work award from finalists: Through the Wire by Ros Horin; Eating Ice Cream With Your Eyes Closed by David Brown; and Madeline Lee with music by John Haddock and text by John Haddock with Michael Campbell. For further information about the awards and to view a full list of the 2005 award winners, CLICK HERE For further information, CLICK HERE