THE National Arts Council of Zimbabwe has unveiled nominees for the 24th edition of the National Arts Merit Awards (Nama), set for February 28 at the Harare International Conference Centre.
Running under the theme Fearless Creativity, Nama 24 celebrates artistic boldness, innovation and cultural resilience across Zimbabwe’s creative industries.
Tickets range from US$10 to US$30 and are available on www.tikiti.co.zw and Med Orange Pharmacies and at selected outlets.
Now in its 24th year, Nama remains Zimbabwe’s premier arts awards platform, recognising excellence across literature, music, dance, theatre, film, television, visual arts and spoken word.
This year’s edition marks a pivotal expansion with the introduction of two new categories, namely: Fashion and Digital Arts, reflecting the rapid evolution of creative expression and the growing influence of online platforms and design entrepreneurship.
With 2 382 submissions received nationwide, Nama 24 underscores the scale, diversity and vibrancy of Zimbabwe’s cultural sector.
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The awards not only honour achievement but also shape industry standards, encourage professionalism and amplify Zimbabwean voices locally and internationally.
Gift Tenga, speaking on behalf of joint Nama producers Scarlet Media and Events Evolution, confirmed a multi-generational performance roster blending gospel, dancehall, afro-pop and urban grooves.
Among the entertainers are gospel powerhouse Dorcas Moyo, contemporary crooner Alexio Kawara, Jiti favourite Baba Harare, and urban grooves icon Plaxedes Wenyika.
Dancehall star Freeman HKD, award-winning lyricist Winky D, gospel minister Michael Mahendere and rising talents including Shone, Junior Spragga and Fab G will also take to the stage.
The red carpet will be directed by fashion personality Tafadzwa Zimoyo, promising a bold showcase aligned with the Fearless Creativity theme.
Launching the nominees announcement from the iconic Mbuya Nehanda monument in Harare, host Charlene MangweniFurusa framed the ceremony as a movement rather than an event.
“The 24th edition of the National Arts Merit Awards celebrates the dreamers, the disruptors, the storytellers and the visionaries. Artists who refuse to be boxed in, silenced or ordinary,” she said.
Declaring that “creativity, it’s not safe. It is bold, disruptive and powerful,” Mangweni-Furusa described the awards as “a call to every creative who chooses authenticity over comfort, purpose over popularity and passion over fear”.
She emphasised that the nominees are “not just entertainers, they’re culture shapers, history makers, the voices of now and the future.”
Adjudication board chairperson Jomo Mone detailed a “rigorous, transparent and multi-layered process” conducted by discipline-specific panels after submissions closed on December 1, 2025.
Music alone accounted for more than 800 entries across genres including sungura, traditional music, hip-hop, R&B, amapiano and Zimdancehall.
Adjudicators assessed songwriting, composition, vocal performance, production quality, originality and public reception.
On the other hand, film and television recorded nearly 700 digital submissions, with Mone noting improved technical quality and experimentation in editing and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
In literature, judges evaluated works across Zimbabwean languages, highlighting notable growth in children’s literature driven by school-based writers’ clubs, while Dance submissions showed increased female-led productions and stronger provincial collaboration.
Mone acknowledged challenges in category placement and submission standards in some disciplines but concluded that the process revealed “a creative sector that is vibrant, ambitious and continuously evolving”.
In music, nominees for Outstanding Male Musician include Michael Mahendere, Freeman HKD and Jah Prayzah, while the Outstanding Female Musician category features Sharon Manyonganise Cherai, Nisha Ts and Shush.
In Film Acting, nominees include Calvin Madula and Leroy Siafa, while theatre categories highlight Cedric Msongerwa and Chidochashe Joanne Tenga, among others.
The newly-introduced fashion awards recognise designers such as Nomakosazana Kanyelengwe and Ishmael Takata, while digital awards spotlight emerging content creators and pod casters reshaping Zimbabwe’s online storytelling space.
Nama 24 is supported by key partners including ZB Bank as title sponsor, alongside multiple corporate and media stakeholders, reinforcing investment in Zimbabwe’s creative economy.