An esteemed panel of judges has been confirmed to single out the winners for the 2016 ImpACT Awards, to be held in Johannesburg in the last quarter of the year. Held annually, the Awards recognise and celebrate excellence within the arts, culture and creative sectors in South Africa.
18th Annual Arts & Culture Trust Awards Recipients.
Photograph: John Hogg.
Sitting on the judging panel this year is Beneficiary Relations Manager for the National Lotteries Commission, Sershan Naidoo; ACT chairperson, Melissa Goba; Dance Umbrella Director, Georgina Thomson; actress, playwright and voice coach, Motshabi Tyelele; and award-winning pianist and educator, Andre Petersen.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be announcing this year’s panel comprising some of the key role players in the arts and culture industry in South Africa. The panel, without a doubt, possesses the experience and knowledge to identify the very best of young emerging professional artists. We extend a heartfelt word of thanks for their willingness to take on this challenging task,” says Pieter Jacobs, CEO of the Arts & Culture Trust (ACT).
The 2016 ImpACT Awards for Young Professionals, sponsored by the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) and the Distell Foundation in partnership with Sun International will present a total of five ImpACT Awards to honour young professional artists.
Since the inclusion to the ACT Awards in 2010, the ImpACT Awards continue to highlight the work of developing artists. The Awards recognise the growing impact these artists’ voices have already added, and the potential of where they can continue to mature and contribute to South African art. The Awards have gained national acclaim and exposure throughout the industry, and are a platform for young professionals to be identified by their peers as respected contributors. The ImpACT Awards are presented to individuals not older than 30 years old, working in South Africa for no more than five years.
Sershan Naidoo believes the name of the Awards says it all; “The name ImpACT emphasises that artists can be role models to others in their industry.” He goes on to commend the Awards for what they do for the industry; “The Awards will bring talented young artists, not only the winners, to the fore, and showcase talent that needs nurturing and talent that will change the landscape of the arts in South Africa.”
The six judges will select winners in the categories of Visual Art, Theatre, Music & Singing, Design and Dance. The winners in each category will receive a cash prize of R10 000 and additional PR opportunities that will be generated through the ImpACT Awards.
Georgina Thomson says, when judging, she will be looking beyond the performance or creation of the finalists’ work. She says she’ll be asking herself; “does it cause debate; does it garner further interest in what they do and does it set the standard that artists need to achieve?”
Naidoo says he’ll be on the lookout for “committed young artists who are discovering and developing innovative pathways to strengthen their careers in the arts and who are able to navigate through a complex arts and cultural terrain”.
“Local is lekker,” says Naidoo, “I’m interested in artists who don’t have to go to Jozi, iKapa or Durban to make good art, but who are able to strengthen the cultural industries in their own localities.”
The prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award winners will be selected by a respected list of ACT trustees and ambassadors; distinguished industry voices committed to encouraging excellence within the sector. These awards are presented to deserving individuals who have made a profound impact and contributed significantly to the enrichment of the arts and culture environment in South Africa. The categories for Lifetime Achievement Awards are; Visual Arts, Theatre, Arts Advocacy, Music, Dance and Literature.
Thomson says that awards like this are integral to South African arts and culture. “I believe it’s important that people are acknowledged for what they have done as it garners encouragement and, in a way, is also a celebration of their work,” she explains.
Nominations for the Awards are open to the public until Monday, 9 May. Click here to submit a nomination.
The ACT Awards are presented in partnership with Sun International, The National Lotteries Commission (NLC), Nedbank Arts Affinity, Media24 Books, DALRO, Distell Foundation and Creative Feel Magazine.
For more information about the Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) please visit www.act.org.za.
The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) is South Africa’s premier independent arts funding and development agency. The primary aim of ACT is to increase the amount of funding available for arts and culture initiatives, and to apply these funds to innovative, sustainable projects that make a meaningful contribution to society. Through structured funding programmes, ACT provides support for all expressions of arts and culture, including literature, music, visual art, theatre and dance, and the support extends to festivals, community arts initiatives, arts management, arts education and arts administration. Follow ACT on Twitter (https://twitter.com/actorgza) or like the Trust’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/TheArtsandCultureTrust).
The Distell Foundation is the umbrella body for Distell’s CSI activities. Thier socio-economic strategy aims to improve the welfare of their communities, while minimising any potentially negative impacts of their operations. They are increasing their focus on harm reduction through life skills and alcohol-specific programmes to achieve better alignment between their business and their communities. Distell invests in three key areas: Alcohol Harm Reduction; Youth Development; Skills Development linked to job creation and Small Business Development with integrated Arts and Culture initiatives. The Foundation’s approach is to create societal value for both the business and the community, to aim to find solutions to social problems that are scalable and self-sustainable and contribute towards the prosperity of a stable democratic South Africa for all. Common to all the initiatives in which the company invest, is the intention to contribute holistically to personal growth within communities and to embrace mindful and responsible living. For more information, visit www.distell.co.za.
The Sun International Group has a diverse portfolio of assets including world class five star hotels, modern and well located casinos, and some of the world’s premier resorts. Their destinations offer experiential luxury, enduring quality and incredible adventure, supported by an authentic dedication to personal service. Sun International Group’s approach has been to differentiate their hotels, resorts and casinos in architecture, service, experience, location and the mix of entertainment and activities. Creating lasting memories for their guests and customers is a core part of their DNA. They’ve created some the world’s most iconic hotels ranging from The Royal Livingstone Hotel at Victoria Falls, to The Palace of the Lost City at Sun City and The Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town. The Group places a strong emphasis on being responsible corporate citizens through their contributions and commitment to the economy, communities and the environment. They are committed to the development of all their employees and they make sure that equal opportunities and economic empowerment form the backbone of their human resource practices. For more information, please visit www.suninternational.com.
The NLC relies on funds from the proceeds of the National Lottery. The Lotteries Act guides the way in which NLC funding may be allocated. The intention of NLC funding is to make a difference to the lives of all South Africans, especially those more vulnerable and to improve the sustainability of the beneficiary organisations. Available funds are distributed to registered and qualifying non-profit organisations in the fields of charities; arts, culture and national heritage; and sport and recreation. By placing its emphasis on areas of greatest need and potential, the NLC contributes to South Africa’s development. For more information, visit www.nlcsa.org.za.
The Nedbank Arts Affinity is a proud supporter of the ACT. Since the inception of the ACT in 1994, Nedbank has raised and distributed more than R16 million through its Arts Affinity Programme, in support of more than 800 South African arts, culture and heritage development projects, at no cost to their clients. To open a Nedbank Arts Affinity account please visit any Nedbank branch or call 0860 555 111, or visit www.nedbankarts.co.za.
DALRO is a multi-purpose copyright society that collects royalties for the use of copyright-protected works on behalf of authors and publishers, which it then distributes back to the correct copyright-owner. As a custodian of copyright and the protection of rightholders’’ works, DALRO’s main areas of administration are reprographic reproduction rights (photocopying from published editions), public performance rights (including stage rights for book musicals and dramas) and reproduction rights (whether for publishing or copying) in works of visual art. For more information, please visit www.dalro.co.za.
Media24 Books is a division of Media24 and forms part of the Naspers group of companies. It comprises the trade publishers NB Publishers and Jonathan Ball Publishers, the schools publishing group Via Afrika Education, the higher education publisher Van Schaik Publishers and the book club business Leserskring/Leisure Books. For more information, please visit www.media24.com/books.
Creative Feel Magazine is an award winning monthly arts and culture magazine that brings the best in classical and jazz music, dance, visual arts, film and theatre, as well as food and travel, to its readers. The magazine is dedicated to promoting arts and culture in South Africa. Creative Feel Magazine has garnered many prestigious awards, including the Arts and Culture Trust (ACT) Awards, as well as the SAPPI PICA Award for excellence in publishing and the coveted BASA (Business and Arts in South Africa) Award. For more information, please visit www.creativefeel.co.za.