Call for entries: Kisima Music and Film Awards 2020

3 Nov 2020 - 18:22

Published under the Creative Commons Licence

The organisers of the 2020 Kisima Music and Film Awards (KMFAs) are calling on aspiring and established African musicians to submit entries ahead of the ceremony at the Carnivore Grounds in Nairobi on 13 December.

Andrew Teyie, Sangeeta Patel and Fred Simiyu during the launch of the 2020 KMFAs.

The awards, which were first held as the Kisima Awards in 1997, have been relaunched as the Kisima Music and Film Awards after a seven-year hiatus to recognise players in Africa’s music and film industries.

The event’s gala will take place under strict COVID-19 safety guidelines, including the provision of free masks for all attendees, the organisers said.

Speaking to Music In Africa at the awards’ launch on 3 November, KMFAs chairperson Fred Simiyu said the awards would be held in a different African country every year to strengthen African solidarity and “be a point of convergence for showcasing African talent, dreams and aspirations.“

“We are relaunching and rebranding as a pan-African event, and the biggest differentiator is that we are including film,” he said. “The reason for this is that we realised that Africa has the creativity that needs to be communicated not only through songs but also visuals. We want to turn the tables and present the best from Africa by Africans. We want to tap into the talent of art, music and film through the storytelling of our culture. We want young artists to get into the Elite programme with the Nation Media Group so they can be trained on musicianship, and use the Music In Africa platform to market themselves and network with professionals from across the globe.”

Music awards

Who can participate?

Artists, producers and record labels can send entries to the awards, which will recognise musical works produced between October 2019 and October 2020 in the following 18 categories:

Continental Awards

Africa Artist of the Year
Africa Male Artist of the Year
Africa Female Artist of the Year
Africa Album of the Year
Africa Best New Artist
Africa Producer of the Year
Africa Song of the Year
Africa Best Collabo/Group/Band
Lifetime Achievement Award/Africa Icon Award

Special Awards – Hosting Country (Kenya)

Artist of the Year
Male Artist of the Year
Female Artist of the Year
Best Producer
DJ of the Year Award
Music Radio Host of the Year (Asian)
Music Radio host of the Year (Kiswahili)
Music Radio Host of the Year (English)
Music Radio Host of the Year (Vernacular)

How to participate

Music entries can be done online here.

The submission deadline is 30 November.

Selection process

A five-member jury including music critics, musicians and producers will nominate five artists in each category for public voting.

Note: This opportunity is open to artists who have original music.

Film awards

Who can participate?

The film section of the awards will accept entries from directors, producers, scriptwriters, editors, directors of photography, production designers and sound designers.

The awards will recognise films produced between January 2019 and November 2020 in the following 18 categories:

Continental awards