People’s Choice Award introduced

After the awards ceremony, to be held this Saturday at the 7 Arts Theatre in Avondale, Harare, there will be an after-party to be hosted at the upmarket Symphony Lounge.
Announcing the nominees for the 9th edition of the NAMA awards recently, the adjudicators’ panel chairperson, Felix Moyo, said this year the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) will honour 32 artistes from seven categories drawn from 68 nominees.
The categories are: Visual Arts, Dance, Literary Arts, Theatre & Drama, Film & Television, Music and Media. Besides these, there will be special awards that include the Arts Personality Award, Arts Service Award and the People’s Choice Award in the different arts sectors.
Artistes in the People’s Choice category will be voted for by the public as opposed to the usual NAMA selection process. The following categories have been selected for the People’s Choice Awards: Outstanding Actor or Actress, Outstanding Visual Artiste, Outstanding Dancer or Dance Group and Outstanding Author. There will also be an award for Best Artiste or Group, Best Song and Best Urban Grooves Artiste.
The People’s Choice Awards is the brainchild of Tribe 263 in conjunction with the NACZ.
Tribe 263 is an initiative by local entrepreneurs which seeks to expose the various sectors of the economy to the worldwide web. It had been targeting schools initially and has been designing websites for most artistes in the country free of charge.
Explaining the People’s Choice voting process, Tapiwa Chinyadza, managing director of Tribe 263, said nominations for the various awards in this category can either be done through text messaging (SMS) to Econet short code 167 and Telecel short code 480 or by visiting the NACZ website www.nama.co.zw.
“The first four awards (Outstanding Awards for Acting, Visual Arts, Dance and Author) will have a straight voting system. This means that there is no nomination process and the public can vote for anyone in those categories until Saturday.
“They can vote by either visiting the (NAMA) website or by sending a text message to the short code provided,” Chinyadza said.
To vote for the Outstanding Actor or Actress, the public can send a text message with “A” followed immediately by the name of the actor or actress. For example, “A Will Smith”.
For the visual artiste award, text “V” followed by the name of the artiste; “D” for dance or dance group and “L” for the author award.
Chinyadza said for the Best  Artist or Group, Song and Urban Grooves Artiste, the nomination process has already started. The public can vote for whoever they like in this category.
The nominees were expected to be announced yesterday and the public would then be asked to vote for the winner in each of the three categories. 
To vote for your favourite artiste under this category, text “Artist” followed by the name of the artiste. For example, “ArtistMichael Jackson” and send to the short code. One can also text “Song” and “Urban” followed by the name of the artiste in these categories.
Chinyadza said the People’s Choice Award is intended to give the general public the opportunity to nominate artistes of their choice.
Tribe 263 is also offering two free tickets to 10 lucky people who would want to attend the premier awards evening — simply text “ticket” to the two short codes. He said winners will get the opportunity to present an award on the night and to be VIPs at the after party.
The voting process was set into motion by votes garnered from journalists and invited guests at the launch of the voting platform earlier this week. The votes produced the following front-runners: Best Artiste or Group — Stunner, Oliver Mtukudzi and Alexio Kawara; Best Song — Shaina, Team Hombe and Haulume; and Best Urban Grooves Artiste — Cindy, Alexio and Stunner.
However, Chinyadza said, the public can vote for any other artiste other than these as the votes were only to get the ball rolling.
9th edition of NAMA nominees
Literary Arts
Outstanding Fiction Book: Absent: The English Teacher — John Eppel; Many Rivers — Christopher Mlalazi; The Fading Sun — David Mungoshi;
Outstanding Children’s Book: The Man, Shaggy Leopard and the Jackal — Ignatius T Mabasa; Kolobeja — Phathisa Nyathi.
Outstanding First Creative Published Work: An Elegy for Easterly — Pettinal Gappah; Harare North — Brian Chikwava; The Trek and the Other Stories — Lawrence Hoba
Dance
Outstanding Male Dancer: Lucky Chapika — Airforce of Zimbabwe Dance Group; Mathias Julius — Tumbuka Dance Company
Outstanding Female Dancer: Isabel Nkau — Hloseni Arts; Zanele Maseko — Hloseni Arts; Natalie Bradbury — National Ballet
Outstanding Dance Group: Pachena School of Arts (PASA); National Ballet of Zimbabwe; Hloseni Arts
Theatre
Outstanding Actress: Eunice Tava in The New Road; Joyce Mopfu In Heal The Wounds; Nomalanga Sibanda in Wish List
Outstanding Actor: Tafadzwa Muzondo in Heal The Wounds; Michael Kudakwashe in Heal The Wounds & The New Road; Josphat Ndlovu in Wish List
Outstanding Theatrical Production: Wish List by Bambelela Arts Ensemble; The New Road by Rooftop Promotions; Heal the Wounds by Rooftop Promotions Music
Outstanding Choral Group: Mabasa Avatumwa; Chiedza Chevatendi; Vabati VaJehova
Outstanding Song: Shaina in Kana — Alexio Kawara; Mandigonera inTiri Munzira — Mabasa Avatumwa; Handibvume inThis Time — Josphat Somanje
Outstanding Album; Reverse Deal — Sulumani Chimbetu; This Time — Josphat Somanje; Simukai — Allan Chimbetu
Outstanding Musician/Group: Alick Macheso; Sulumani Chimbetu; Tongai Moyo

Visual Art
Outstanding two-dimensional work: The Musician — Godwell Mkandhla; The Land that has Life — Clive Tatenda Mkucha; Fish — Wallen Mapondera
Outstanding three-dimensional work: Liberty — Rickson Zavari; Advising Youth — Eddy Masaya; Let’s Please Mama — Boet Nyariri
Outstanding Mix Media Work: Beautiful struggle — Johnson Zuze; Breeding Bull — Dominic Benhura; Kutumbuka (Blossom) — Semina Mpofu

Film and Television
Outstanding Actor: Blessing Munatsi — Legacies; Dax Jackson — Fading Pictures; Kudzai Brett Maramba — Legacies; Joseph Pike — Fading Pictures
Outstanding Actress: Agnes Trigy — Legacies; Sandra Chawabvunza — Fading Pictures; Natsai Dzimwasha-Katakwa — Fading Pictures
Outstanding Screen Production (Film): Sara Woga — Watson Chidzomba; Tariro — Rumbi Katedza; Mbereko Yevana — Timothy Makwarimba
Outstanding Screen Production (Television Drama): No nominees
Outstanding Screen Production (Television Soap): No nominees
Outstanding Music Video: Let’s Party — Soulbone; Zvangu Newe — Ethnic Posse; Ngonile — Ernest Sibanda; Ndinovimba — Kudzaishe Nyakudya

Media Awards
Outstanding Arts Reporter (Print): Raisedon Baya — The Sunday News; Daisy Jeremani — The Chronicle; Simbarashe Clever Kavhenga — Freelance
Outstanding Arts Reporter (Electronic: Radio): Nqobile Malinga; Leander Kandiyero; Hazvinei Sakarombe
Outstanding Arts Reporter (Electronic: Television): Terrence Mapurisana; Hazvinei Sakarombe.