Sport, Arts and Culture opens call to nominations for National Arts and Culture Awards

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture announces the opening of the call for nominations for the National Arts and Culture Awards (NACA) - an encompassing cultural and creative sector awards

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture wishes to announce the call for nominations and the release of the rules and guidelines for the call for nominations for the NACAs and can be found on the website www.naca.dsac.gov.za

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture carefully conducted a thorough process to formulate the NACA’s rules and guidelines to ensure that the proper and competent stakeholders are directly involved to describe the merit and characteristics of the NACA’s and that inclusivity, openness, transparency, fairness are what portrays the process and the Awards.

The awards afford an opportunity for creatives and South Africans to honour the best amongst the creatives, the wisdom, voice, and experience of the creative community; its indomitable positive influence on the country’s nation building project and ability to inspire the world.

“These awards play a vital role in the creative industry by recognizing excellence, boosting morale, inspiring, and creating a vibrant nation, and promoting a culture of innovation. They also enhance the reputation of winners and organizations, attracting new opportunities and collaborations. Ultimately, these awards foster a sense of community and inspiration within the creative field whilst also benchmarking ourselves against the best.” Minister Gayton McKenzie.

The NACA Strategic Benefits are as follows:

• To have a mega award platform to engage with other likeminded creatives and sponsors, clients, and audiences to building stronger meaningful relationships.
• To increase awareness and profile of the winner’s individual offerings, attracting more attention from media, potential partners and sponsors while creating international marketability for South African creatives.

The NACA’s comprise of seven (7) categories and thirty awards (30)

1. The Heritage Site Category (x3 Awards)

• Outstanding Museum Award
• Outstanding Archaeological & Historical Site Award
• Outstanding Cultural Landscape Award
   

2. The Visual Arts & Craft Category (x4 Awards)

• Outstanding Visual Artist Award
• Outstanding Curator Award
• Outstanding Crafter Award
• Outstanding Art Gallery Award
   

3. The Literary Works Category (x4 Awards)

• Outstanding Children Fiction Book Award
• Outstanding Book, Fiction Book Award
• Outstanding Book Non-Fiction Book Award
• Outstanding Publisher Award
   

4. The Audio Visual & Interactive Media Category (x6 Awards

• Outstanding Film Fiction Award
• Outstanding Documentary Film or TV Award
• Outstanding Drama TV Award
• Outstanding Actor TV and Film Award
• Outstanding Animation Award
• Outstanding Gaming Award 
   

5. The Design & Creative Services (x4 Awards)

• Outstanding Fashion and Textile Designer Award
• Outstanding Graphic & Multimedia Designer Award
• Outstanding Product Award
• Outstanding Architecture and Interior Designer Award
   

6. The Performing Arts Category (x6 Awards)

• Outstanding Theatre Production Award
• Outstanding Dance Production Award
• Outstanding Musician Award
• Outstanding Actor in Theatre Award
• Outstanding Performance Award – Poet
• Outstanding Performance Award - Comedian
   

7. The Ministry (Discretionary Category) (x3 Awards)
   These awards are decided, announced, and presented by the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture.
   7.1.    Lifetime Achievement Award

• Bestowed to someone with 20 years or more of documented achievement and outstanding contribution over the individual’s whole career to the South African creative industry and internationally.

7.2.    Internationally Recognised Artist or Group Award

• This award is presented to an artist or group that has received international recognition, exhibited, and performed on international platforms for five years and more.

7.3.    Artist with Disability Award

• This award is awarded to a person with a disability who has achieved excellence in their craft within the creative and cultural industries.

The NACA categories will be adjudicated by a nomination review committee of experts and an auditing firm, which are intended to safeguard the integrity of the awards and to serve as additional checks and balances.
For the full list of rules and guidelines for the NACA Awards, visit the website: www.naca.dsac.gov.za

Call for entries will open on the 5 May 2025. The closing date: 21 May 2025 at 17:00

Enquiries:
Ms Zimasa Velaphi
Chief Director: Marketing and Communications
E-mail: zimasav@dsac.gov.za
Cell: 072 172 8925

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