The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) has announced the winners of the 2026 National Arts and Culture Awards (NACA), following the Awards ceremony held at Sun City Resort in the North West Province on Friday, 21 August.
The celebration was broadcast nationally on SABC 1 on Saturday, 22 August 2026.
The third edition of NACA recognised excellence across six disciplines through 20 competitive awards, spanning Heritage, Visual Arts and Craft, Design, Performing Arts, Audio Visual and Literary work.
The recipients reflect the breadth of South Africa’s creative and cultural landscape and the contribution made by artists, cultural practitioners and institutions to the country’s cultural identity and creative economy.
The NACA 2026 winners are:
Heritage Outstanding Museum Award: KwaZulu-Natal Museum Visual Arts and Craft Outstanding Art Gallery Award:
Gallery MOMO Outstanding Crafter Award: Madoda Fani – Southern Guild Outstanding Curator Award: Bridget Phakathi – Nkosi Sikelel’ iAzania Outstanding Visual Artist Award: Mellaney Roberts – Waar Bloed Nie Loop Nie Design Outstanding Architecture/Interior Designer:
Colin Payne Outstanding Fashion/Textile Designer: David Tlale – David Tlale Outstanding Graphic & Multimedia Designer: Siyabonga Masuku – ZULOSOFI Performing Arts Outstanding Actor in Theatre: Themba Ndaba – Breakfast with Mugabe Outstanding Comedian Performance: Nomthandazo Rubushe – Comedy Meets Gospel Outstanding Dance Production: Gregory Maqoma – Genesis:
The Beginning and End of Time Outstanding Musician Award: Sisa Benjamin Zako – 45 years of Sizwe Zako Outstanding Poet Performance: Koleka Putuma – Water Outstanding Theatre Production: The Fatherland Audio Visual Outstanding Actor TV/Film Award: Zenande Mfenyana Outstanding Film Fiction Award:
Norman Maake – Sebata, The Beast Literary Outstanding Book, Fiction Award: The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women by Michelle Kekana Outstanding Book, Non-Fiction Award: Imperfect Harmony by Kutlwano Masote Outstanding Children’s Fiction Award: Die beste sussie vir ‘n baba-draak by Fanie Viljoen Outstanding Publisher Award:
Jacana Media In addition to the 20 competitive awards, the ceremony recognised recipients of the Ministerial Awards, honouring individuals whose work and contribution have made a significant impact on South Africa’s arts and cultural landscape. This year’s recipients were Mr. Leon Schuster, Mr. Alfred Ntombela, Ms. Felicia Mabuza-Suttle, Dr. Rebecca Malope, Mr. Alec Khaoli, Dr. Miriam Makeba, Mr. Mduduzi Tshabalala, Mr. Don Mattera and Nkosinathi Maphumulo.
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr Gayton McKenzie, congratulated the winners, nominees and the broader creative sector, noting the importance of building platforms that recognise artistic excellence while supporting sustainable careers and opportunities within the sector.
“NACA 2026 was a powerful reminder of the extraordinary depth of talent we have in South Africa.”
“The Awards brought together the legends who laid the foundations of our arts and culture with a new generation of creatives who are taking that legacy forward in their own bold and exciting ways Honouring our veterans is important because we must never forget the people whose talent, sacrifice and hard work helped shape our cultural identity. At the same time, recognising fresh talent matters just as much, because that is how we show the next generation that there is a place for them and their ideas in the future of South African arts and culture That is what made this year’s NACA special. It celebrated where we come from, recognised where we are and showed us just how much there is to look forward to.
The future of South African creativity is bright, and judging by the talent recognised this year, it is in very good hands” said the Minister.
Presented under the theme “Celebrating Our Nation’s Creative Excellence,” NACA 2026 placed emphasis on three interconnected areas: talent, the business of the creative sector and nation building. The Awards recognise creative achievement while highlighting the contribution of the sector to livelihoods and enterprise, cultural preservation, social cohesion and South Africa’s national identity.
This year’s ceremony was brought to life through the creative concept “Going Way Back”, drawing on South Africa’s cultural memory and the generations of artists and creatives who have shaped the country’s story, while celebrating those carrying that legacy forward.
The concept carried particular significance during National Women’s Month and in a year marking 70 years since the historic Women’s March of 1956, 50 years since the youth of 1976, 30 years of South Africa’s Constitution and 50 years of television in South Africa. These milestones provided a backdrop to an Awards ceremony that reflected on the people and moments that helped shape the country, while recognising a new generation of creatives taking South Africa’s story forward.
The evening brought together artists, nominees, cultural practitioners and industry leaders, with Pamela Mtanga and Vafa Naraghi leading the ceremony alongside performances and tributes celebrating different generations of South African creative talent.
NACA 2026 was also supported by partners making practical contributions to the broader Awards programme. Super Group Dealerships, through JETOUR, supported mobility across the NACA and National Sports Awards weekend; Metropolitan supported the programme with a focus on financial resilience and protecting legacy;
AMKA and its participating beauty brands supported both Awards through products and local hair and make-up talent; while YAMAHA is contributing musical instruments towards the Ministerial Outreach Programme to be held at Paardekraal Primary School in Rustenburg on Monday, 24 August 2026.
These partnerships reflect the role that collaboration between government, business and the creative sector can play in supporting talent, livelihoods and opportunities beyond the Awards stage.
The National Arts and Culture Awards will be followed by the South African Sport Awards (SASA) on Sunday, 23 August 2026, completing a national weekend recognising excellence across South Africa’s arts, culture and sporting.
