Standard Bank Young Artist Awards
Already lauded both at home and abroad, this year’s recipients are bold, boundary-breaking voices, shaping South Africa’s creative narrative on a global scale.
The SBYA awards reached a milestone anniversary of 40 years, a new generation of trailblazers takes their place in this storied legacy. These are six exceptional artists who are not just reflecting the world but reshaping it.
Where forms evolve and the imagination charts new ground
The Standard Bank Young Artist Awards remain one of the country’s most respected acknowledgements of creative excellence. This year’s awardees represent a cohort of artists firmly grounded in their practices and recognised by their peers, whose work moves fluidly between forms, histories, and audiences. Their selection marks a moment in which South African artists continue to expand the ways in which culture is produced, performed, and experienced, with the awards offering an added platform that supports their trajectory to the next stage of their careers.
Each award recipient will develop new work that will premiere at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda in 2026, continuing a long-standing tradition in which the award functions not only as recognition but also as a platform for artistic development and presentation.
View our winners