Here are all the winners of the 22nd National Eisteddfod Academy Young Performer Awards Competition, presented on 11 May 2025 at the Roodepoort Theatre.
(Penryn College - MbombeLa)
(Laerskool Vryheidsmonument-Vereeniging)
(Orban Primary School - Johannesburg)
Other winners were the following:
The 2025 adjudicator’s panel at the Final Round comprised NEA Brand Ambassador Sibongile Mngoma, Dirk Badenhorst, Aneliza Phewa, Johan Engelbrecht and Samantha Peo.
Winners of the 22nd National Eisteddfod Young Performers Award Competition were:
• Gold Medal and R10,000 cash: Sinhle Mona, a Gr 12 singer in the contemporary music secion from Penryn College, Mbombela, trained by Thapelo Lekoane. She also received the award as Best Performer FET phase and a further R1,200 in cash.
• Silver Medal and R3 000 in cash: Walroux Tolmay, grade 7 from Laerskool Vryheidsmonument in Vereeniging. He performed in the Speech and Drama Category.
• Bronze Medal and R2 000 in cash: Caitlin Kreusch, grade 7 from Orban Primary School in Johannesburg, she performed in the Dance Category.
Mzanzi Ballet Director, Dirk Badenhorts, also invited Caitlin to join the Mzanzi Ballet Vocational School in Fourways free of charge for one year. The value of this offer is 28,000.
• Walroux Tolmay, grade 7 in the speech and drama, and Caitlin Kreusch, grade 7 in the dance category, shared the winning position in the Senior Phase.
The winners of the various phases were:
• Cynthia Wang, a grade 3 violinist from Cornwall Hill College, in the Foundation Phase,
• Benjamin Vorster, grade 4, from St Benedicts College, also on violin, was the winner in the Intermediate Phase
• Walroux Tolmay, grade 7 in the speech and drama 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.
• Overall best group performance: Dainfern College Senior Marimba Band from Fourways.
In the special category, Most Inspiring Performance, the adjudicators nominated Cynthia Wang for her performance on violin. They also gave special recognition to a participant that didn’t won any of the awards, but who in their view deserved Special Recognition for his perseverance and dedication: he was Rylan Lemmetuis, grade 8 from Curro Mossel Bay.
To order a video recording of the 4 semi-final rounds or the Final Round @ R100 per video, click HERE!
