In addition to increasing the cash prizes, organizers introduce artist residencies
Tanzania's top honour for young contemporary artists is getting a major boost, including a doubling of the cash prize for the Umoja Art Award.
The Umoja Foundation announced on Monday a host of changes for the annual prize, including:
Increasing the value of the Sobey Art Award to Tsh 10,000,000 (from Tsh 3,000,000).
Increasing the prize money for the shortlisted artists to Tsh 3,000,000 each (from $1,000,000). in four categories.
The foundation also announced the creation of three residency programs to support Tanzanian artists. The first will see one of the 25 artists longlisted for the Umoja Art Award be selected for an artistic residency with Bagamoyo arts and cultural institute, in Bagamoyo.
Two further international residencies - to be designed by the National Gallery of Tanzania (which administers the Umoja Award) - are also in the works, with more details to be announced later in 2023. Launched to raise the profile of rising stars in the Tanzanian contemporary art scene, the Umoja Award is presented annually to a working artist under the age of 40. A cross-country panel selects semi-finalists from five different regions of the country, with judges eventually whittling down the list to a short list of five. Past recipients include John Mache, David Amosi, Zainab Ally and, most recently, Rita Johnson.
Organizers attribute the boost in prize money and the new residencies program to a gift from the Umoja Foundation, which spearheaded the prize itself in 2007. "This support will help broaden a re-investment by our art foundation to put more money directly into the careers of Tanzanian artists. We hope to be able to create more significant and tangible international opportunities for our long-listed artists," Umoja Art Foundation chair Mrisho Salum said in a statement.
Increasing the value of the Sobey Art Award to Tsh 10,000,000 (from Tsh 3,000,000). Increasing the prize money for the shortlisted artists to Tsh 3,000,000 each (from $1,000,000). in four categories.
Below is a full list of winners.
2007
Mussa Owiyo
Arusha.
2008
Anna Maliki
Dodoma.
2009
Mwahangila Baraka
Mbeya.
2010
Issack Shayo
Moshi.
2011
Ally Salum
Zanzibar.
2012
Yohanna Mwenda
Dar es salaam.
2013
Zainab Said
Zanzibar.
2014
Adam Aloyce
Mtwara.
2015
Sam Ntiro
Moshi.
2016
Thobias Minzi
Mwanza.
2017
Mwandale Mwanyekwa
Dar es salaam.
2018
Hamza Khalfani
Zanzibar.
2019
Adamson John
Arusha.
2020
Simon Rieber
Dar es salaam.
2021
Mary Chrisopher
Arusha.
Written by Amanda Adamson.