The National Eisteddfod Academy is calling for entries for the 22nd NEA Young Performer Awards Competition to be presented from March – May 2025.
The 22nd National Eisteddfod Young Performer Awards Competition provides a next level of participation for all diploma award recipients in last year’s eisteddfod events. It is one of the most prestigious events of its kind in South Africa for young performers in music, dance and drama and is annually presented over 4 elimination rounds. In recent years more than R500,000 in prizes were awarded to top achievers in music, dance and drama in the Semi-final and Final Rounds. Gold, Silver, Bronze medals will be awarded to the overall best performers in the Final Round.
What is the format of this competition in 2025?
This competition is presented annually over THREE / FOUR rounds (Large groups participate in three rounds).
- The first round comprises of adjudicated events in each genre, where a Panel of Adjudicators nominate participants to proceed to the quarter final round.
- The quarter finals take on a similar format: the Panel of Adjudicators for each genre will select 15 – 20 participants / groups that will then compete in one of the four semi-final rounds.
- The 4 semi-final rounds of Young Performer Awards competition are presented in concert format at a theatre. Each concert is dedicated to a genre (classical and contemporary music, dance and drama). The best participants in the different categories, as decided by the Panel of Adjudicators, are then invited to compete in the final round.
- In the final round, a panel of experts, representative of the different genres, finally decides on the winners of the Gold, Silver and Bronze medals.
How does one qualify to enter into this competition in 2025?
This competition is open for all recipients of diploma awards in the National Eisteddfod 2024, as well as any top achievers who participated in other local eisteddfods / festivals during 2024: (excluding ALL reading and improvised categories, as well as novice instrumental categories). The following is required to qualify:
- Diploma recipients in the National Eisteddfod 2024 have already qualified to enter the Young Performer Awards Competition 2025.
- Any participant that received a diploma or similar award in any other eisteddfods or similar events during 2024 may also qualify. (An achievement of 90%+ or diploma level is required and proof of this achievement should be submitted with the entry.)
- For aspiring participants that did not participate in any eisteddfod event in the past year, the NEA has created a Preliminary Qualifying Round as an alternative opportunity to qualify to enter this competition. This option is available for a limited period only. Read more about this lower down on this page.
What is the broad timeframe for the 2025 competition?
This competition is presented annually at venues in the Johannesburg Region:
- The dates for the First Round will fall within the broad timeframe of 03 – 15 March 2025.
- The dates for the Quarter Final Rounds are 17 – 20 March 2025
- The four Semi-final rounds will be presented at the Roodepoort Theatre on 9 – 10 May 2025.
- The date and venue for the Final Round will be announced soon.
More details in this regard is provided further down the page.
What is the process for entering into this competition in 2025?
Different entry processes apply to diploma recipients in the National Eisteddfod of South Africa and participants in other eisteddfods in 2024.
Applicable to all participants in the annual National Eisteddfod of South Africa®:
Diploma recipients in the National Eisteddfod 2024 have, as determined by their province of residence, ONE or TWO options available for participating in the FIRST and SECOND ROUNDS:
LIVE PERFORMANCE – Participants are required to perform live at a given venue. Details on the date, time and venue will be published the online entry platform. Nothing beats a LIVE performance! For this reason ALL participants in the 2024 season of the National Eisteddfod of South Africa® can enter for a live performance. |
VIDEO RECORDED PERFORMANCE – Only participants resident outside the Gauteng Province have the option to submit video recorded entries for this competition. These video recordings of performances should be submitted no later than 01 March 2025. |
All participants in the National Eisteddfod of 2025 also have the following options available:
- Participants may submit their entries ONLINE at a lower entry fee.
- Participants also have the option to request a personalized “hardcopy” of the entry form to submit their entries in a Hard Copy format (a higher entry fee is charged for hard copy entries.)
- Individual participants are no longer limited to only the exact “approved” items as presented at the Eisteddfod in 2024:
- Similar items have been grouped together to create new broader categories that require a similar “skill set”. (For example: Lyrical Poetry, Narrative Poetry, Free Verse Poetry etc. have been grouped together in a “Poetry Category“).
- This approach now opens up new opportunities for the serious performer: If you have received a diploma award for any one item in this category, you may now enter any number of the other items in the same category. For example: if you only qualified with your performance of a narrative poem, you may now also enter a lyrical poem and/or free verse and/or another narrative poem in the same category.
- The rationale for this approach is that achievement on diploma level in any category is considered as confirmation that the participant has acquired the higher skills level required in the given category. This now provides for an opportunity to present additional items within the “approved” skill set and is also an incentive for the participant to spread his/her wings.
- When submitting entries ONLINE, participants will notice that their approved entries include the item(s) that they received diplomas for, as well as all the other available items in the same category that they now may enter for. In addition, the items now also reflect their current grades (except for the open section).
Applicable to participants in all other festivals / events (in other words, someone who didn’t participate in last year’s National Eisteddfod events):
Diploma recipients in other festivals have, as determined by their province of residence, ONE or TWO options available for participating in the FIRST and SECOND ROUNDS:
LIVE PERFORMANCE – Participants are required to perform live at a given venue. Details on the date, time and venue will be published the online entry platform. Nothing beats a LIVE performance! For this reason ALL participants from other eisteddfods can enter for a live performance. |
VIDEO RECORDED PERFORMANCE – Only participants resident outside the Gauteng Province have the option to submit video recorded entries for this competition. These video recordings of performances should be submitted no later than 01 March 2025. |
- Participants from other eisteddfods can only submit entries by completing the required ENTRY FORM (“hardcopy format”) .
- The proof of payment of the applicable fee should be submitted with the entry.
- A copy of the certificate/document confirming the achievement in another festival should be included with the entry
- A copy of the hardcopy entry form can be downloaded HERE
Who may select to submit a VIDEO recorded performance?
Only participants from OTHER provinces are allowed to submit video recorded performances for adjudication in the first round. These videos will be scheduled and adjudicated in the same sessions as the live performances.
The reason for this allowance is the vast distance between Johannesburg and many other provinces. This allowance will enable participants from other remote provinces to continue participating without the high cost of travelling to Gauteng. In this instance, the new video recordings should reach the NEA Office by 01 March 2025.
Participants from these provinces that are subsequently selected for participation in the Quarter Final round will also have the option to submit a newly recorded video performance for adjudication in the Quarter Final Round. They may also opt to perform live.
IMPORTANT: Participants that are selected for participation in the Semi-final and Final Rounds will be required to perform LIVE. No video recordings are allowed for the Semi- and Final rounds.
IMPORTANT:
Participants should closely follow the requirements as outlined in the Helpfile for video entries.
All video recorded performances must be submitted in any of the following formats:
- A link to a video recorded performances on YouTube or Google Drive (do not submit with WeTransfer or Dropbox)
- A video recorded performance on a USB stick
- The deadline for submission for adjudication in the First Round is 01 March 2025
Are there any items / categories that are excluded for participation in the Young Performer Awards Competition?
For practical reason some items and categories are excluded from the list of approved categories for this competition. These items include the following:
- All prepared and unprepared reading items.
- All unprepared and improvised acting categories, e.g. unprepared storytelling, theatre sports, creative advert, improvisation and unprepared mime.
- One act plays and workshop productions
- Unprepared public speaking
- Debating and group public speaking.
- All Novice music items
- Elementary music items (Gr. R – 6)
Can someone that didn’t participate in any eisteddfod in 2024 still qualify to enter for the Young Performer Awards Competition 2025?
For aspiring participants that did not participate in any eisteddfod event in the past year the NEA has created a Preliminary Qualifying Round as an alternative opportunity for a limited period only.
The Preliminary Qualifying Round provides anyone that currently does not qualify to enter for the Young Performer Awards Competition an opportunity to qualify by receiving a diploma award. For this purpose, an aspiring participant has to submit an ONLINE VIDEO entry as if it were submitted for Eisteddfod 2024. The closing date for these entries is 5 February 2025 and the proof of paying the non-refundable special entry fee of R190.00 needs to be submitted together with this entry. Please contact the NEA Office for more information in this regard or e-mail cindy@eisteddfod.co.za.
Preliminary Qualifying Round
Once the video entries have been received (with proof of payment), all Preliminary Qualifying Round videos will be submitted to members of the NEA Adjudicators’ Forum for adjudication. The outcome of this adjudication will be communicated by e-mail to all participants in this round not later than 10 February to allow successful participants to enter for the Young Performer Awards Competition before any of the closing dates for live or video entries). (Kindly refer to ” Procedure for submitting an entry for the Preliminary Qualifying Round” below for more information).
This Preliminary Qualifying Round opportunity is open for:
- Participant(s) in the National Eisteddfod 2024 that did not qualify to enter this Competition in any particular genre.
- Anyone that did not participate in the National Eisteddfod 2024 or any other eisteddfod or similar event and subsequently could not qualify to enter for the Young Performer Awards Competition 2025
Procedure for submitting an entry for the Preliminary Qualifying Round:
- Open the Login/Register page
Register on the National Eisteddfod ONLINE ENTRY platform if you have not done so before.- Click Register Online to register
- At the end of the registrations process you will be provided with a User Code and Password that should be noted for future use.
(Should you loose this information, please email register@eisteddfod.co.za and provide the Name that you used in the registration process. (Do NOT submit duplicate registrations.) - For help with the how, click here.
- Login to your existing or new Online Profile.
- Click on the Login button to login
- Enter the User Code and Password (received at the end of the registration process) as well as yo0ur email address in the boxes as provided on the Login form
- For help with Login click here.
- Click Login to continue.
- Continue to submit your entry ONLINE.
- For more information about submitting entries online, click here.
- Record your performance on video and submit your video for adjudication by following the Guidelines and requirements for Video Recorded Entries
- Should you get stuck or need further assistance, please call the NEA Office on 011 886 6005 (office hours). Alternatively, please send an email to admin@eisteddfod.co.za with more information about your query.
How to enter: Help file for Preliminary Qualifying Round (Current dates and amounts will differ from dates and amounts as provided in this help file. These dates are for illustrative purposes only.)
What are the closing dates and entry fees for the Young Performer Awards Competition 2025?
The entry fee for the National Eisteddfod Young Performer Awards Competition is a ONCE-OFF non-refundable fee. Entry fees are due WITH the submission of entries and are determined by the following:
- number of participants,
- date of entry
- format of submission (Online or in Hard copy format), and
- mode of presentation (Live Performance or Video Recorded Performance).
Important: Entry fees are not refundable and should be submitted BEFORE the cut-off date for the particular entry (ONLINE or HARD COPY). In order words, an “Early Bird” entry should be paid before the deadline, else the entry will be cancelled or the higher fees according to the NEXT CUT-OFF date will be charged.
Where do I submit an ONLINE entry to participate in the Young Performer Awards Competition?
More information and the ONLINE links to individual and group are provided below.
Applicable to all participants in the National Eisteddfod of South Africa 2024:
Where do I find the HARDCOPY ENTRY form for “Other Festivals” to participate in the Young Performer Awards Competition?
For the hardcopy entry form for “Other Festivals” see below.
When and where will live performances in the 22nd Young Performer Awards Competition be adjudicated?
Provisional details regarding the venues and dates for the various adjudication rounds in this competition are as follows (Depending on the number of entries received, some of the following dates and venues are subject to change):
Live performances in the 21st Young Performer Awards Competition will be scheduled on dates and venues from 3 March until 11 May 2025:
Provisional dates & venues: First Round: 03 March – 15 March 2025
- Linden Theatre (44 5th St, Linden, Randburg, 2104) (Crossover & Contemporary Music; Speech & Drama)
- Domus Dei Randburg Suid (30 Jean Rd, Blairgowrie, Randburg, 2194) (Classical Music, Speech & Drama; Dance (individual and small group items))
- NG Kerk Roodekrans (7 Azalea Avenue, Roodekrans, Roodepoort) (Classical Music, Speech & Drama)
Combined First Round and Quarter Final Round for all DANCE items and LARGE GROUPS (Music & drama): Saturday 8 March 2025
- Roodepoort Theatre (100 Christiaan de Wet Rd, Florida Park, Roodepoort, 1709)
Provisional dates & venue Quarter Final Round: 17 – 20 March 2025
- Roodpoort Theatre (Basement Theatre) (Classical, Crossover & Contemporary Music; Speech & Drama)
Semi Final Rounds: 9 – 10 May 2025
Roodepoort Theatre (100 Christiaan de Wet Rd, Florida Park, Roodepoort, 1709)
- 9 May 15:00 – 17:00 Semi-final 1 (Speech & Drama)
- 9 May 19:00 – 21:00 Semi-final 2 (Classical & Crossover Music
- 10 May 15:00 – 17:00 Semi-final 3 (Dance)
- 10 May 19:00 – 22:00 Semi-final 4 (Contemporary Music)
Final Round: Date and venue to be confirmed soon
Can I submit a Special Requests regarding unavailable date for participating in the Young Performer Awards Competition?
To provide for possible challenges, participants may submit special request pertaining to availability in advance and before the closing date for normal entries on 26 February 2025 to admin@eisteddfod.co.za.
We will attempt to accommodate all requests submitted in advance, but please note that given the particular demands of this competition, we cannot give any guarantee that we will be able to accommodate all requests.
In order to facilitate the adjudication process, events are scheduled according to the participant’s grade (e.g. it does not make sense to schedule a Gr R participant with a group of Gr. 6 learners). For this reason and in the interest of the participant, we will be reluctant to allow any rescheduling of events.
I have qualified to enter for the Young Performer Awards Competition. Must I perform exactly the same piece that I received the diploma for?
Generally speaking, a participant is expected to perform the same item as the one that received a diploma award in last year’s eisteddfod. However, in recent years this rule was not enforced.
Participants are now allowed to present new material in the first round of the Young Performer Awards Competition, provided that it is on the same level or higher as the work performed in the previous year.
This is more often the case in speech and drama items when students have moved on to new material. Participants in the more senior grades in classical and contemporary music, as well as dance categories, mostly perform the same material as in the previous year.
Banking details:
National Eisteddfod Academy NPC
ABSA Current Account
Account No.: 404 747 8448
Branch Code: 632 005
Quote PAYREF and name of participant as reference