Arts and Culture Trust Annual Awards 2002

These annual Awards recognise people, institutions and activities that best support the development and promotion of arts and culture in South Africa.

The categories are as follows:

1. Arts Administrator of the Year
2. Journalist of the Year
3. Media in Support of the Arts of the Year (electronic and print)
4. Arts and Culture Publicist of the Year
5. Cultural Development Project of the Year (including education)
6. International Arts Sponsor of the Year
7. ACT Best Practice Project

The ACT Awards will be presented at a gala function in Johannesburg on 10 October 2002.

Nominations for consideration are to be submitted to ACT by 2 August 2002.

A list of finalists will be published on the ACT website:
www.artsculturetrust.co.za on Friday 13 September.

For nomination forms and further information on the Awards, contact ACT on telephone 011 833 3611 or e-mail . You may also download forms from www.artsculturetrust.co.za

No faxes or e-mails will be accepted and a nominee must be nominated by another person.

Description of each category

1. Arts Administrator of the Year

Open to any person in cultural organisations, government, the business community or activities concerned primarily with administration, policy, funding or management of the arts and culture or any aspect of it.

Some criteria to consider:
* The skills, competence, knowledge and experience of the person in the area of work concerned.
* The achievements of the person during that particular year, and in the preceding 3-10 years.
* The national impact of the person's work.
* The contribution of the person to general development within arts and culture outside of the particular area in which s/he operates.

2. Arts and Culture Journalist of the Year

Open to any South African radio, TV or print media journalist - either freelance or permanent, in any part of the country, who regularly writes about/reports on the arts and culture, whether on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

Some criteria to consider:
* The commitment, passion and interest of the journalist in the arts and culture (as opposed to it being just another job) or any aspect of it.
* The effects of the journalist's writing in informing the public and in constructively criticising the arts and culture community or any aspect of the arts and culture.
* The integrity, independence, courage of the journalist.
* The choice of subject/s and its relevance to a significant public or artistic constituency.
* The competence, sills, knowledge of the subject, research capacity reflected by the journalist.

3. Media of the Year in Support of the Arts (Electronic and Print)
Open to any South African radio or television programme or Internet service, any South African daily, weekly or monthly newspaper, journal, newsletter, magazine which as a whole, or a section of which reports on, provide information about, comment, gives constructive criticism, provides debate about arts and culture, or any aspect of it.

Some criteria to consider:
* The consistency of quality and usefulness of the medium's reports, reviews, information, articles, etc over a period of time i.e. as opposed to one-off programme/service.
* The breadth of the arts and culture covered by the programme/service/publication.
* The national impact of the programme/service/publication in generating debate, providing information, developing audiences, educating the public, etc.
* The editorial independence, investigativeness, courage and integrity of the medium/service/publication.
* The layout, design and general attractiveness of the medium/service/publication.

4. Arts and Culture Publicist of the Year

Open to any media publicity company, agency or department of an institution whose primary task is to generate publicity, and thereby, audiences and markets for arts and culture or any aspect thereof.

Some criteria to consider:
* The consistency of the quality of the publicity generated by the agency for a range of activities/products.
* The innovation of the agency in generating publicity.
* The success of the agency in developing audiences and markets for particular activities/products.
* The respect with which the agency is held by the sections of the arts and culture community it most serves.

5. Cultural Development Project of the Year (Including Education)

Open to any projects or programme undertaken by any formal or non-formal institution in any of the cultural, government, private or business sectors, in any arts and culture discipline, with the primary of developing arts (skills, infrastructure, building audiences, etc) or access to the arts among historically disadvantaged communities. Any agency or organisation involved in advocacy around arts and culture education anywhere in the country OR any formal or non-formal education programme which imparts skills - artistic, administrative, educational, etc - in the arts at primary, secondary, tertiary or adult level.

Some criteria to consider:
* The organisational, management and financial soundness of the project.
* The legacy, real or potential, which the project will leave.
* The involvement of the target market in designing, implementing and sustaining the project.
* The sustainability of the project.
* The success of the project during that year.
* The educational soundness of the project.
* The quality of the tutor/prime movers.
* The innovativeness of the project.

6. International Arts Sponsor of the Year

Open to foreign donor, embassy, government department or institution, based in South Africa or abroad, which supports South Africa financially, or through training, exposure or other means.

Some criteria to consider:
* The particular achievements of the sponsor during that year.
* The history of involvement, and the concomitant achievements of the sponsor in the local arts.
* The national impact of the sponsor's support for the local arts.

7. ACT Best Practice Project of the Year
Open to all projects which have been wholly or partly funded by ACT and have best fulfilled all its obligations, in the twelve month period before the closing date for awards nomination.

Some criteria to consider:
* Proof of effect of project.
* How the project fulfilled its stated intentions.
* Why the project is exemplary in terms of ACT's selection criteria (artistic excellence, legacy etc.)
* Media and publicity generated for ACT.
* Written references.

Chairperson's message

The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) once again invites the public to make nominations for the various categories in the annual ACT Awards.

The awards are conceived to acknowledge the fine work done by countless individuals, organisations and agencies, local as well as international, in support of the arts.

The project is a celebration of excellence in areas often hidden behind the scenes of public events. By placing a range of activities, without which the arts would not thrive, in the spotlight, the awards aim to improve the conditions under which the arts are produced.

South Africa is now in the phase where democracy has to be consolidated and translated into meaningful and lasting improvements in everyday lives. In this, the focus must fall on changing the conditions of economic, educational and cultural deprivation under which the majority still live.

Just as during the transition, arts and culture have a role to play in this. It may seem modest, but creativity is the capacity to transform materials, ideas and traditions. It is a human capacity that articulates the subtleties of experience and engages the world symbolically and directly. The individuals and agencies which the ACT Awards aim to identify, will all be performing crucial roles in support of creativity.

Through the awards, ACT gives expression to its vision to open the hearts and minds of all South Africans to the arts, culture and heritage and their potential to contribute to the creation of a better life for all. Launched in 1994, the founding trustees include the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, Nedbank, Sun International, Vodacom and the Royal Netherlands Embassy. Managed by a two-person administration and advised by a Board of Trustees, the ACT provides financial assistance and bursaries to all the art forms and heritage sectors. It provides funding in five categories of activity: skills training in arts and heritage, development of infrastructure, production, training and audience development.

The central summons for the ACT remains the forging of mutually beneficial and lasting partnerships between civil society, the private and the public sectors in support of the arts. Along with this the ACT works to grow its own capital base and help expand resources for supporting the arts. - Professor Andries Walter Oliphant