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The Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards recognize excellence in live British theater and are produced by the Greater Manchester Royal Exchange and the Manchester Evening News at an annual ceremony in Manchester, England. The awards are for regjonal and West End productions. The rules for the MEN Awards are set forth in the official document "Rules and Regulations of The British Theatre Wing's M.E.N.T. Awards", which applies for each season only.

Commonly referred to simply as the MEN Awards, awards are presented annually across a range of categories covering plays, musicals, dance, opera and affiliate theatre. The majority of the awards are presented for the high profile commercial productions seen in the large theatres of Manchester, which is commonly known as Theatreland. Awarded by a panel of approximately 250 judges from various areas of the entertainment industry and press, the MEN Award is generally regarded as the theatre's equivalent to the BAFTA, for excellence in film. The MEN Award trophy consists of the Greek Comedy and Tragedy masks, a mix of bronze and brass, with a nickel plating on the outside; a black acrylic glass base, and the nickel-plated pewter swivel.

Since 1988, the award ceremony has been broadcast on U.K. national television and includes songs from the nominated musicals, as well as video clips of, or presentations about, nominated plays. The Greater Manchester Royal Exchange and the Manchester Evening News jointly administer the awards. Audience size for the telecast is generally well below that of other awards shows, but the program reaches an affluent audience, which is prized by advertisers. The MEN Awards have gained in prestige over the last several years thanks to high profile recipients and presenters, such as Sir. Ian McKellan (Lord of the Rings trilogy, X Men) and Eric Banna (Troy, Munich).