Call for nominations: 2019 Mzansi Kwaito and House Music Awards

Voting will take place from 30 August to 3 November and the awards ceremony will be held at Carnival City in Johannesburg on 30 November.

"I am excited as this year we have a second runner-up prize but only for the upcoming kwaito and house artists," MKHMA founder and CEO Perfecta Khumalo said. "We have so many surprises hence we say, #ZizowaMore. I encourage all artists to send through their entry forms. Please read the rules and regulations before you fill in an entry form.

Rules and regulations

• Entries are open to all South African kwaito/gqom and house artists and pantsula dancers.
• Entries are open in respect of any qualifying recording artist, or pantsula dancers, being a person who: is a South African citizen or has been a permanent resident in South Africa for a minimum of six months on the date of entry; and provided the entrant is a South African entity and owns at least 50% of the master recording contained in the entry in question where any other part of the master is owned by a non-South African entity; the same applies to artists comprising singles or groups, provided that not less than 50% of its members comply with the criteria set out above.
• The steering committee reserves the right to request proof that all artists, producers, and pantsula dancers qualify as set out herein.
• All recordings submitted for the MKHMAs must have been commercially released (in other words first made available for sale by any recognised retail trade) in South Africa, but only commercially released during the entry period will qualify for entry on condition that written proof of release details for the entry period is submitted together with the fully completed entry.
• The steering committee is entitled to request further or sufficient proof at its discretion; unless otherwise stated, awards are presented for album releases. An album is defined as a commercially available compact disc containing: a minimum of seven different and previously unreleased sound recordings by the artist or group in question (in other words, no rereleased albums or ‘best of’); and not less than 30 minutes of previously unreleased recorded performance.
• The following categories are excluded from this requirement: Lifetime Achievement Award.
• All recordings (singles and albums) and all music videos submitted for the fourth MKHMAs must have been commercially released (in other words first made available for purchase or shown by a TV broadcaster or published on a digital platform) in South Africa during the period 1 January 2018 to 30 April 2019 (“the entry period”). This exclude the category of Best Kwaito Song of 2001–05 artists who do not have albums as per the definition above may only enter in the Best Single category.
• All categories will be determined by public votes, the and the winners will be determined by public votes scores.
• Multi-artist compilations of previously released recordings may not be submitted in the genre category that is most reflective of the majority of the recordings on the compilation.
• Entrants may only submit one entry form per category unless a category rule states otherwise.
• Artists may enter into any music genre for as long as the song complies with that music genre as qualified by the steering committee and complies with all rules and regulations.

Read here for more information on the MKHMA rules and regulations. 

Artists should submit their music in the following 19 categories:

• Best Kwaito Artist
• Best New Kwaito Artist
• Best Kwaito Single
• Best Kwaito Radio Personality
• Best House Artist
• Best New House Artist
• Best House Single
• Best House Radio Personality
• Most Voted Song
• Best Collaboration
• Radio Station That Plays Kwaito
• Best Music Video
• Best Producer
• Best New Age Kwaito Song
• Best Kwaito Song (2001-2005)
• Best Kwaito/Gqom Group or Duo
• Best Mapantsula Dance Group
• Best Gqom Artist
• Best DJ

Interested artists should submit an entry form (attached below) with online links to their music to the following emails: It should be info@mkhma.co.za and tshepiso@mkhma.co.za.  

Submissions can be alternatively sent by post, accompanied with music CDs, to Perfecta Khumalo to one of the following postal addresses:

Newtown City Lodge
Corner of Carr and Miriam Makeba streets
Newtown
Johannesburg
2113

Soweto Hotel
Corner of Union Avenue and Main Road
Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication
Kliptown
Soweto
1812

Carnival City Hotel
Corner of Century and Elsburg roads,
Carnival City
Brakpan
1540

The submission deadline is 31 July.