Your guide to the 2026 National Arts and Culture Awards

It’s time to honour the artists, stories and creative voices shaping South Africa.

Presented under the theme “Celebrating Our Nation’s Creative Excellence”, the 2026 National Arts and Culture Awards (NACA) recognise achievement across the country’s arts, culture and heritage sectors.

In doing so, they shine a spotlight on local talent, the business of the creative economy and its contribution to people’s livelihoods, as well as the role these sectors play in nation-building and strengthening South Africa’s cultural identity.

An initiative of the department of sport, arts & culture, the awards span six categories: Heritage Site, Visual Arts & Crafts, Design & Creative Services, Performing Arts, Audio Visual & Interactive Media, and Literature.

The 2026 NACA ceremony takes place at Sun City on Friday August 21, forming part of a wider awards weekend that also includes the National Sports Awards on Sunday August 23.

Media personality Pamela Mtanga and comedian Vafa Naraghi will host the NACA celebration, with a programme featuring music, fashion, visual arts, poetry and performance, reflecting the diversity of talent recognised throughout the awards.

The 2026 NACA ceremony will be broadcast on SABC 1 at 8pm on Saturday August 22.

The 2026 NACA awards arrive at a significant moment in South Africa’s national story.

This year, the country marks 70 years since the historic Women’s March of 1956, 50 years since the 1976 Soweto Uprising and 30 years since the adoption of the constitution in 1996.

Against these milestones, the artists, writers, filmmakers, performers and cultural practitioners recognised by NACA represent another generation documenting, interpreting and shaping South Africa’s cultural identity.

The awards also coincide with 50 years of television in South Africa, giving added resonance to the NACA broadcast on SABC 1, and to television’s role in carrying local stories, languages, music and cultural expression into homes across the country.

NACA 2026 is supported by partners making practical contributions across the programme.

Super Group Dealerships, through Jetour, is supporting mobility across the NACA and National Sports Awards weekend. Metropolitan is bringing a focus on financial resilience and legacy, while AMKA and its participating beauty brands are supporting both awards through products and local hair and make-up talent.

Yamaha will contribute musical instruments as part of a Ministerial Outreach Programme at Paardekraal Primary School in Rustenburg on Monday August 24.