Artist urged to enter NAMAs

With barely two weeks to go before the entry deadline for the Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMAs), Tim Ekandjo, Executive Chairman of the NAMAs has expressed disappointment with the low number of entries so far. “We are therefore urging artist not to wait until the 11th hour, because that is how they make mistakes and submit incomplete entries that will be disqualified,” pleaded Ekandjo. The deadline for entries is on 15 December 2014. Ekandjo stressed that no entries can be accepted after the closing date as artist had a full month to submit their recordings.

To qualify for next year’s NAMAs artists must have produced or released an album between 01 December 2013 and 30 November 2014.  As a new teaser, Ekandjo said the prize money for the Best Male and Female artist has been increased to N$100 000, which make the NAMAs the best rewarding music award ceremony on the continent. Ekandjo also said that there is a possibility that other category prizes will also be increased. To this end,  the organizers are in negotiation with the sponsors. The 2015 NAMAs have seen the introduction of two new categories Best Song with a Message and Best Musical Event of the Year.  Next year, the Namibian Annual Music Awards will either take place in Swakopmund or Ongwediva. The public vote categories are now open for voting on both the NAMA website and via SMS. When voting via SMS it is important to ensure that the name of the artist is spelled correctly. Each SMS is charged at two dollars. To vote online, go to www.nama.com.na and click on the link, www.namaentry.com/public.php and follow the easy online voting process.