WINDHOEK
Non-Namibians now have chance to participate in next year’s Namibian annual music awards (NAMAs) as per the changes that have been made by NAMAs committee erasing categories and elevating the award ceremony.
The new and exciting category that has been added to NAMAs 2016 is the “Best Pan African Artist of the Year”. This category is open to artists from the rest of Africa, excluding Namibian artists, in appreciation for African music most played on local radio stations in Namibia. Local radio stations will be requested to give the most played songs by them and from that list the top five nominees will be selected based on most played. Once the nominees are announced, the public will vote to determine the winner in this category. The public will only be allowed to vote via SMS to ensure that only Namibians vote in this category.
“We have introduced this category with the understanding that Namibian music co-exist within a larger African market, and while we celebrate our music we must also learn from the rest of Africa while remaining unique. This will gives the NAMAs an opportunity to attract a wider African audience as we are only five years old and still in the process of marketing this event to the rest of Africa. For the first time in NAMAs’ history, any nominee in this category will now be allowed to perform on the NAMAs stage,” NAMAs Executive Chairperson, Tim Ekandjo
Due to the incredibly low number of entries which have been received in the following categories over the years, the categories of Best Rock/Alternative, Best Instrumental (inclusive of Jazz) have been dropped from the 2016 list of categories. “We will of course monitor the industry and if the interest picks up in those music genres, we will reconsider this decision,” says Ekandjo.
The category of Most Popular Artist of the Year has also been dropped as the element of popularity is already represented in other categories like Radio and Song of the Year through public vote. The categories of Best Newcomer and Best Group/Duo now join the non-entry categories and nominees and the winners in these two categories will now be selected by the judges. The Song of the Year nominees, previously determined via a public vote, will now be determined by the radio stations. The radio stations will give the most played songs for the period and once the nominees are announced the public will vote for the winner.
All public votes in the public vote categories will start in February, and this date will be announced in due course.
The nominees and winners of the Most Disciplined Artist of the Year were previously determined by the public and all artists were eligible, however now only the nominees will be able to vote and determine the winner.
In the Entertainment Journalist and Radio DJ of the Year, participants will now be required to enter themselves by submitting a detailed motivation on their work, experience, accolades and public reach, with NAMAs Committee vetting the entries and determining the top five nominees for the public then to vote and determine the winner.
All category prize monies remain the same, however the prize for The Best Album category will increase from N$25,000 to N$50,000.
The tentative dates for the NAMAs 2016 are May 6 and 7, 2016 and the venue will be announced later this month to allow the organisers to consider any bids or proposals from interested towns. Artists can enter by either downloading the entry form from the official NAMAs entry system, collecting entry forms from the MTC or NBC offices or complete online and physical forms for delivery together with the CDs to the MTC and NBC offices.
Qualifying criteria remain the same as before with only albums commercially released between December 2014 and November 2015 qualifying for entry. Artists are encouraged to visit the NAMAs website on www.nama.com.na to familiarise themselves with the rules before submitting their entries. Entries close on December 7, 2015.