Gold Medal and R10 000 in cash: Sinhle Mona (grade 12) from Penryn College in Mbombela, a singer in the contemporary music section.

NEA Young Performer Awards Competition

The National Eisteddfod Academy (NEA) is pleased to announce the winners of its 22nd Young Performer Awards competition, presented on Sunday 11 May 2025 at the Roodepoort Theatre.

This highly regarded competition, presented by the NEA, a non-profit organisation for youth development in the arts, attracted entries from top achievers nationwide. Following three preliminary rounds since February, 34 young performers and groups competed for the gold, silver and bronze medals and prize money of R20 000.

The winners of the 22nd National Eisteddfod Young Performers Award Competition are:

•              of the Gold Medal and R10 000 in cash: Sinhle Mona (grade 12) from Penryn College in Mbombela, a singer in the contemporary music section

•              of the Silver Medal and R3 000 in cash: Walroux Tolmay (grade 7) from Laerskool Vryheidsmonument in Vereeniging, in the Speech and Drama category

•              of the Bronze Medal and R2 000 in cash: Caitlin Kreusch (grade 7) from Orban Primary School in Johannesburg, in the Dance category

The 2025 adjudicator’s panel at the Final Round comprised NEA Brand Ambassador Sibongile Mngoma, Dirk Badenhorst, Aneliza Phewa, Johan Engelbrecht and Samantha Peo.

The winners of the various phases were Cynthia Wang, a grade 3 violinist from Cornwall Hill College and Benjamin Vorster (grade 4) from St Benedicts College also on violin in the Intermediate phase; Walroux Tolmay (grade 7) in the speech and drama category and Caitlin Kreusch (grade 7) in the dance category shared the winning position in the Senior phase. Sinhle Mona (grade 12) was the FET phase winner, and the winning Group Performance was the Senior Marimba Band from Dainfern College in Fourways.

In the special category, Most Inspiring Performance, the adjudicators nominated Cynthia Wang for her performance on violin. Rylan Lemmetuis, a grade 8 from Curro Mossel Bay, although he did not win any awards, received a Special Recognition from the adjudicators for his perseverance and dedication.

”I had the pleasure of attending and adjudicating the finals of the NEA Young Performer Awards competition. I also happen to be the brand ambassador for the NEA. South Africa is blessed with so much talent and this competition was so beautifully balanced. Every demographic was represented – very few spaces can claim the same representation. I’m passionate about young people and their talents and this was a beautiful way to spend Mother’s Day. Yes, it’s sad that they can’t all win, but they are all definitely winners! Definitely one of those projects that should be supported because of its footprint. I’m not talking government support – I mean it’s a South African project that should be adopted by all of us because of its impact.” Sibongile Mngoma.

The annual NEA Young Performer Awards allows young, upcoming learners in the performing arts from across the country to attempt to reach and compete at the Finals and has proven to be the springboard for many of the participants.

Many past winners and participants have gone on to excel on the professional stage. Amongst them are Henno William, a 2015 Silver medallist and a SA’s Got Talent 2015 finalist, Julian Hepburn, also a finalist in SA’s Got Talent; Andile Ndlovu and Camille Bracher top achievers in Ballet, the young pianist, Iman Bulbulia, Carmen Pretorius, an established musical theatre and TV star and Cantona James, a kykNet Fiësta Award winner.

The National Eisteddfod of South Africa® is calling for entries for the 2025 National Eisteddfod of South Africa® season. Aside from performing live at the various eisteddfod venues, aspiring performers in every corner of the country have the opportunity to participate through video-recorded performances. The closing date for discounted Early Bird online entries is 31 May 2025 or 31 July (normal entry fees apply). The final deadline for hardcopy video and art entries is 20 September 2024.

All information – the NEA prospectus, different categories and requirements, dates for activities in particular regions, entry forms, entry fees and guidelines for the submission of online entries and virtual entries is available on the NEA website – www.eisteddfod.co.za

For any further enquiries please contact the NEA Office at 011 886 6005 / e-mail: info@eisteddfod.co.za

Follow the NEA on: Twitter: @eisteddfodSA / Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nearsa

About the National Eisteddfod Academy NPC

The National Eisteddfod Academy (NEA) is a non-profit company that creates opportunities for youth development in the arts. The activities of the NEA provide various opportunities where young performers can develop and showcase their talents across the full spectrum of artistic and cultural diversity. Since the founding of the organisation in 1997 the annual NEA Eisteddfod activities have involved close to 58 000 participants in several rural and urban regions; and since the launch of the NEA Young Performers Award competition in 2004 more than 23 000 entries have been received The NEA also manages the National Eisteddfod of South Africa®, the largest eisteddfod platform in the country.

Media queries: Di Sparks, Behind the Scenes Communications | disparks@artslink.co.za | 073 208 8483.

Di Sparks
disparks@artslink.co.za
073 208 8483
National Eisteddfod Academy
http://www.eisteddfod.co.za