The National Arts Festival and its partner, Standard Bank, have
announced the 2026 Standard Bank Young Artists.
The award is one of South Africa's most significant platforms for creative excellence, bringing debut works to the National Arts Festival from the cutting edge of our culture. It's a moment that has consistently marked turning points in artists' careers and shaped the trajectory of disciplines over decades.
This year's cohort are redefining their art forms. They move fluidly between experimental practice and popular culture, connecting local histories to global stages.
They are artists already recognised by their peers, shaping how creative work is made and experienced in South Africa.
The award offers both national recognition and critical momentum at a pivotal moment in their careers and we’re ready for what happens next.
See them in Makhanda between June 25 and July 5.
Meet the new Standard Bank Young Artists (pics supplied).
Bronwyn Katz:
(Bronwyn Katz - Visual Art)
Creating sculptural and installation works that explore language, memory and land through a deeply personal and speculative lens, Bronwyn Katz is the 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist for Visual Arts. At the heart of her practice is an imagined creole language—an evolving system of notation that translates gesture, sound and embodied knowledge into material form.
Drawing on fragmentary histories and oral traditions, Katz treats land as a living archive—one that holds memory, trauma and presence. Her works use line, texture, rhythm and weight as tools of meaning, proposing alternative ways of recording and transmitting knowledge beyond written language.
Based in Cape Town, Katz has exhibited widely both locally and internationally, contributing to a vital reimagining of what constitutes the South African archive today. Katz has participated in major international group exhibitions including the 59th Venice Biennale (2022), the New Museum Triennial (2021), the Biennale of Sydney (2020), and the Biennale of Lyon (2019). She is a founding member of iQhiya, an eleven-woman artist collective that has performed at institutions including Documenta 14.
Gabi Motuba
(Gabi Motuba – Jazz)
Gabi Motuba, the 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, is a Mamelodi-born, Johannesburg-based vocalist, composer and educator at the Wits School of Arts. Her practice is grounded in deep listening, intellectual inquiry and a profound commitment to sound as both discipline and calling.
Alongside her performance practice, Motuba composes for film, arranges music and mentors emerging artists. Widely respected for her musicality and conceptual depth, she continues to shape a thoughtful and expansive approach to jazz in South Africa and beyond.
(Jason Jacobs –
Theatre)
The 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist for Theatre, Jason Jacobs, is an indigenous artist from Kharkams, Namaqualand. A storyteller, he integrates his cultural heritage into contemporary narratives, exploring themes of identity, history and community.
His second feature film (co-directed with Devon Delmar), Variations on a Theme, won the Tiger Award at the 2026 International Film Festival Rotterdam and Best African Film at the 2026 Joburg Film Festival. Additionally, his collective, KRAAL, received the SAFTA for Outstanding Provincial Contributor in 2026. His first short film, Nama Swaan, debuted at the kykNet Silwerskermfees, while the multi-nominated feature Carissa (NAAAP Productions) debuted at the Venice International Film Festival.
In theatre, Jacobs' trilogy of works earned him the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival New Voices award, following the 2016 Theatre Arts Emerging Director award and a Fleur du Cap nomination. He co-translated Rehane Abrahams' multi-award-winning Womb of Fire into Brandbaar, and created the performance piece Maroon with Javier Perez. He wrote, directed, and starred in Kraal at the Black2Normal Festival in Denmark.
Jacobs pursued his master's as a scholar under the Mellon Foundation-funded Reimagining Tragedy in Africa and the Global South project. His practice remains rooted in the performing arts, healing practices, and community development.
Lee-ché Janeke
(Lee-ché Janecke –
Dance)
Lee-ché Janecke, known professionally as Litchi HOV, is a Cape Town-born choreographer, creative director and cultural innovator shaping the future of global dance. The recipient of the 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Dance, he has spent over 13 years developing a movement language that is both ancestral and futuristic - rooted in South African rhythm while resonating on international stages.
Globally recognised for his distinctive choreographic voice, Litchi reimagines pop culture through an African lens, transforming trends into a refined and unmistakable signature style. As the creative force behind Grammy Award-winning artist Tyla, he helped propel Water into a worldwide dance phenomenon and earned a 2025 MTV VMA nomination for Best Choreography for Push 2 Start.
From early beginnings on So You Think You Can Dance South Africa and Step Up or Step Out to choreographing for Idols SA, he has continuously shaped a bold creative philosophy that merges indigenous rhythms with contemporary form. Now expanding his impact globally, Litchi HOV leads a dynamic choreography and creative tour, delivering masterclasses, workshops and large-scale productions that turn every space into a site of cultural exchange – recalibrating the pulse of pop culture.
Ndumiso Manana
(Ndumiso Manana – Music)
Ndumiso Manana, the 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist for Music, is a multi-faceted singer-songwriter and producer from eSwatini whose journey began in 2020 with his debut album In The Beginning Was The End. Subsequent releases - the album But Could The Moments In Between and EP COMMA - blend electronic dance music, soulful R&B, Afrobeats, Amapiano fusion, and poignant acoustic ballads. His 2024 release, Our Broken Hearts Mend, completes his trilogy of musical and poetic exploration to date.
A Bachelor of Music (BMus) in Jazz graduate from UCT with a rich choral background from the Drakensberg Boys Choir, Manana's ability to blend sound and silence with innovation and intimacy has become his hallmark. His contribution as songwriter to Burna Boy's Grammy-winning Twice As Tall reflects his influence in the global music scene. He has collaborated with Usher, Pheelz, Nasty C, Sauti Sol, Tyla, Amanda Black, Ami Faku, Shekinah, and Cynthia Erivo.
The industry has taken note. His debut EP received a nomination for Best Produced Album at the 2020 South African Music Awards. In 2023, he won the SAMA for Best R&B/Soul Album for But Could The Moments in Between, and in 2024, he was selected for Spotify Radar.
The festival organisers say: “We’re preparing an exciting, multi-faceted programme for 2026 and we’re looking forward to sharing it with you on the 12th May!”
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