Online Reporter
Maria Chiguvari
Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment
THE National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) says it is pleased with the overwhelming response to the 24th National Arts Merit Awards (NAMA).
Entries close today and more than 1,117 submissions have already received from creatives across the country.
Running under the theme “Fearless Creativity,” next year’s ceremony will be held on February 28 at the Harare International Conference Centre (HICC).
Organisers are saying this year’s submission list is one of the strongest in the awards’ history.
NACZ said it is particularly encouraged by the shift towards digital adoption, with the majority of artists submitting through the official NAMA online portal. However, NACZ also expressed concern that a number of entries remain technically incomplete.
Many artists filled the online form but did not attach the required supporting materials such as downloadable links to their work —a mandatory step for validation.
NACZ has urged creatives to complete this final requirement before the cut-off time today to avoid disqualification due to incomplete entries.
The film category leads the submission numbers, followed by music and visual arts.
The awards committee has also received radio chart data from major stations such as Power FM, ZiFM, Star FM, Sky Metro and Radio Zimbabwe to assist in determining nominees in the music section.
Entries have come from all provinces, with Harare and Bulawayo contributing the largest share, followed by Manicaland, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South.
For this edition, NAMA introduced two new categories — Fashion and Digital Media— to reflect shifts in Zimbabwe’s creative landscape and acknowledge emerging sectors showing significant national impact.
Works produced between December 1, 2024, and November 30, 2025, will be considered.
Below is the full list of categories:
1. Visual Arts
i) Outstanding Female Visual Artist
ii) Outstanding Male Visual Artist
iii) Outstanding Upcoming Visual Artist
iv) Outstanding Exhibition
2. Theatre Awards
i) Outstanding Actor
ii) Outstanding Actress
iii) Outstanding Theatrical Production
iv) Outstanding Director
v) Outstanding Playwright
3. Literary Awards
i) Outstanding Fiction Book
ii) Outstanding Non-Fiction Book
iii) Outstanding Children’s Book
iv) Outstanding First Published Work
4. Film & Television Awards
i) Outstanding Actor
ii) Outstanding Actress
iii) Outstanding Music Video
iv) Outstanding Screen Production (Television)
v) Outstanding Screen Production (Full Length Film)
vi) Outstanding Screen Production (Short Film)
5. Dance Awards
i) Outstanding Dance Group/Production
ii) Outstanding Female Dancer
iii) Outstanding Male Dancer
iv) Outstanding Choreographer
6. Spoken Word Awards
i) Outstanding Stand-Up Comedian
ii) Outstanding Poet
7. Music Awards
i) Outstanding Female Musician
ii) Outstanding Male Musician
iii) Outstanding Breakthrough Musician
iv) Outstanding Music Group
v) Outstanding Song
vi) Outstanding Album
8. Fashion Awards
i) Outstanding Male Fashion Designer
ii) Outstanding Female Fashion Designer
iii) Outstanding Contributor to the Fashion Industry
9. Digital Arts Awards
i) Outstanding Female Social Media Content Creator
ii) Outstanding Male Social Media Content Creator
iii) Outstanding Podcast
10. Special Awards
i) Outstanding Artist in the Diaspora
ii) Outstanding Arts Journalist/Media House
iii) Promoter of the Year
iv) Arts Service Award
v) Arts Personality Award
vi) Lifetime Achievement Award
vii) People’s Choice Award
