Zimbabwe Music Awards return after three-year absence

The awards, which were last held in 2016, will run under the theme ZIMA2020. Entries for nominations will open on 11 November and close on 31 December.

“The ZIMAs are now structured to support music production, promotion and distribution throughout the year, as a strategic function to enhance the quality of Zimbabwean music. We want to recognise and award deserving music that meets international standards,” ZIMAs CEO Reason Sibanda told Music In Africa.

Sibanda said extensive planning had gone into bringing the event back onto the Zimbabwean awards calendar.

“The ZIMAs have a new team boasting wide-ranging experience in the industry, both locally and internationally. This team has combined expertise gained from local and international festivals and awards such as the Bulawayo Arts Awards, Glastonbury, the MTV Africa Music Awards and the South African Music Awards."

Sibanda added: “We needed to get everything right. The ZIMAs are now fully established, employing a marketing and public relations officer, fundraiser and administrator as well as production and technical teams.

The ZIMAs will host a party on 11 January to celebrate the nominees ahead of the big event, with the main award categories being Best Female Artist of the Year, Best Male Artist of the Year, Best Group/Duo of the Year, Best Newcomer of the Year and Best Album of the Year.

The event will also award artists in technical categories such Producer of the Year, Engineer of the Year, Best Music Video and Best Videographer.

“We’re committed to recognise, promote and celebrate our musicians, their music and the music support systems through strengthening the Zimbabwe Music Awards’ total infrastructure," Sibanda said.

"We also want to preserve Zimbabwe's musical legacy and heritage through the ZIMAs’ custodial culture of continuous research, documentation and archiving.”

The ZIMAs will accept works that were commercially released in Zimbabwe between 1 January and 31 December 2019.

Visit the ZIMAs Facebook page for more information.