Malawi: UMP Awards announces 2025 categories

This year’s edition will be held on the sidelines of the UMP Festival from 21 to 27 October. According to the organisers, the awards will celebrate not only Malawian music, but the African music as a whole.  

Entries for the awards ceremony will open on 24 February. The selection process will involve a combination of expert panels, public voting, and data-driven analysis to ensure a fair and transparent process, the organisers said. The exact details of the selection process will be announced in due course.

“We have added new categories, notably Africa-wide honours,” UMP Festival producer Ken Limwame said. “We realised Malawi music doesn’t exist in a vacuum, its integral to the Africa music scene. We have exciting innovative categories like Best Fans where we would like to recognise the role of fans in artists journey and success but also encourage artists to be fan-centric, without fans, there is no music industry.”

The awards will be the climax of the UMP Festival, a week-long celebration of music, art, fashion, film and culture. The festival will feature Miss UMP, art exhibitions, Cape Mac Film Festival, music & dance performances, and other activities, culminating in the awards ceremony on one of the weekend nights.

Core categories

• Artist of the Year (Male)
• Artist of the Year (Female)
• Song of the Year
• Album/EP of The Year
• Best New Artist (Male)
• Best New Artist (Female)
• Producer of the Year
• Best Gospel Act

Genre-specific categories

• Best Hip Hop/Rap Act
• Best Amapiano Act
• Best Reggae/Dancehall Act
• Best Afrobeat/Fusion Act
• Best Traditional/Indigenous Music Act

Performance and Visual Excellence

• Best Collaboration
• Best Music Video
• Best Music Video Director
• Best Live Act
• Best Duo or Group

African/Regional/International Categories

• African Artist of the Year
• SADC Regional Artist of the Year
• Best West African Act
• Best East African Act
• Best North African Act
• Best New African Act
• Global Impact Award (For Malawian Artists Excelling Internationally)

Special Recognitions

• Lifetime Achievement Award
• Tourism Promotion Award (For Artists Promoting Malawi's Culture and Tourism) Humanitarian Award (Recognising artists with significant community impact)
• Best Band
• Best Fans