35 awards for Maso

Maso Awards returns to the fold with its fourth edition set to be held on December 28 2024 at Comesa Hall in Blantyre.

The awards return to the commercial city of Blantyre, having been held in Lilongwe last year.

Maso Awards Chief Executive Officer Augustine Mukisi said Wednesday, two days after hold a press conference in Blantyre, that they had added five new categories this year, pushing them, to 35 awards in total.

“We are ready to decorate artists once again and this is why we have brought in new categories. The new additions are Best Local Sound Act, Best Fashionable Celebrity, Best Produced Event, Best Gospel Act (Female) and Best Social Media Content Creator (Female),” Mukisi said.

He also said that, this year, their official sponsor is Fadeth Properties.

“This is our official sponsor but we need more sponsors so that we come up with an excellent event,” Mukisi said.

This year’s Maso Awards, according to spokesperson Sivy Symon, will celebrate what she described as incredible contributions of artists in various categories such as music, poetry, fashion, comedy and visual arts.

“We are excited to present the theme for this year, which is ‘Towards Arts Export for Social Economic Growth’,” Symon said.

She pointed out that, when harnessed, the arts could be a “driving force for job creation and foreign exchange”.

“We have seen the power of the arts in economic development in countries such as Nigeria and South Africa. There is massive talent in Malawi, which needs to be recognised,” she said.

Symon said they would be transparent in their dealings.

“The first phase is the nomination [one], where both the public and industry players submit potential candidates. Once nominees are shortlisted, the public can vote for their favourite artists online. To ensure fairness, the votes are cross-checked by a panel of experts, who oversee and verify the final results,” she said.

Through the platform, the festival has boosted the careers of artists such as Driemo, Zeze Kingston, Kellie Divine Njuchi, Lady Aika, Zonke Too Fresh and Fada Moti.