In 2026, South African art is moving differently. The lines between disciplines are loosening. The gap between experimental practice and popular culture is narrowing. Artists are finding new ways to move between the archive, the stage, and the global screen.
The winners of this year’s Standard Bank Young Artist Awards embody this shift.
Announced by the National Arts Festival (NAF), of which Standard Bank is a long-standing partner, the five awardees span visual arts, jazz, theatre, dance, and music.
Together, they represent a generation of artists defining their own terms, reshaping how culture is created and experienced, with the awards providing a platform to support the next stage of their careers.
The 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist Award winners are:
Bronwyn Katz – Visual Arts
Katz works through sculpture and installation to develop a speculative language that draws on land, memory, and embodied forms of knowledge.
Her practice considers how histories that resist traditional archives might be carried through material, gesture, and sound, proposing alternative ways of recording and transmitting communal memory.
Gabi Motuba – Jazz
Motuba has built an expansive body of work as a vocalist, composer, and educator whose practice moves between avant-garde experimentation and deep philosophical inquiry.
Her compositions position sound as both intellectual investigation and spiritual discipline, placing music in dialogue with literature, history, and political thought.
Jason Jacobs – Theatre
Jacobs is a storyteller whose work draws from Nama-Khoi indigenous heritage to explore questions of identity, history, and community.
Moving between theatre and film, Jacobs brings lived histories into contemporary narrative form while contributing to the recovery and articulation of First Nations stories within SA’s cultural landscape.
Lee-ché Janecke – Dance
Known internationally as Litchi HOV, Janecke’s practice emerges from the world of popular choreography and global performance culture rather than the conventional institutions of contemporary dance.
His work, widely recognised through collaborations across the music industry and large-scale performance platforms, reflects how choreography now travels across digital culture, stadium stages, and international audiences.
Ndumiso Manana – Music
Manana is a singer, songwriter, and producer whose work moves across genres including R&B, electronic, Afrobeats, and acoustic traditions.
His compositions combine introspective lyricism with expansive sonic experimentation, reflecting a generation of musicians navigating both local and global sound worlds.
Celebrating a legacy of creative excellence
The NAF established the Young Artist Awards in 1981 to recognise emerging South African artists demonstrating outstanding talent.
Since 1984, Standard Bank has sponsored the awards, which have become one of the country’s most respected acknowledgements of creative excellence. Over more than four decades, the awards have honoured over 180 creatives whose work continues to shape their respective fields.
This year’s winners will develop new work to premiere at the 2026 NAF in Makhanda, continuing a tradition in which the awards serve not only as recognition but also as a platform for artistic growth and presentation.
Supporting artists across the arts
Speaking on behalf of Standard Bank, group head of sponsorship Bonga Sebesho reflects on the significance of this year’s recipients.
“Through the Standard Bank Young Artist Awards, we continue to support artists who are shaping the cultural landscape in real time,” he says.
“The 2026 recipients reflect the depth and diversity of creative practice in SA today, from those working with memory and language to others transforming global popular culture.”
Sebesho adds that Standard Bank’s commitment to the arts is grounded in the belief that artists help people interpret the present while imagining the future. “We are proud to support these remarkable voices as they continue to expand the possibilities of their disciplines,” he says.
Creating pathways that support careers
Monica Newton, NAF CEO, emphasises that SA has no shortage of brilliant young artists, and more opportunities are needed to accelerate their careers.
“This year’s recipients arrive with something to say, and the award gives them the platform and momentum to say it louder,” she says.
“What excites me most is seeing this moment become a turning point: suddenly there are bigger stages, bolder projects, wider audiences, and, of course, artists with the clarity and skill to make the most of it.”
Newton also expresses her gratitude to Standard Bank for its continued support, noting that the partnership creates meaningful pathways that transform and advance artists’ careers.
The 2026 cohort continues that legacy, demonstrating that South African art remains a vibrant space of invention, dialogue, and cultural exchange.
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This article was sponsored by Standard Bank.
