The African
Women
in Art Award
Women
in Art Award
The African Women in Art Award (AWAA) is an international visual arts competition for women from Sub-Saharan Africa, created to discover new talent and provide artists with a platform on the global art stage.
Post-Release
The African Women in Art Award (AWAA) is an international visual arts competition for women from Sub-Saharan Africa, created to discover new talent and provide artists with a platform on the global art stage.
In 2024, the competition brought together participants from more than 12 African countries. Finalists and winners presented their works at exhibitions in Lusaka, Barcelona, and Moscow, introducing their artistic practices to international audiences.
One of the success stories of the award is Ethiopian artist Selamawit Gebretsadik, a participant of AWAA 2024. Following the competition, her works were presented at AWAA exhibitions in Zambia, Barcelona, and Moscow, where they attracted the attention of audiences and collectors. After the exhibition in Moscow, the artist gained collectors in Russia and began collaborating with a partner gallery.
In February 2026, Selamawit Gebretsadik held her first solo exhibition in Russia, becoming the first Ethiopian artist to present a solo show in the country. The project was accompanied by the publication of the first Russian art album dedicated to Ethiopian contemporary art and the work of Selamawit Gebretsadik, presented at ZILART, one of Russia’s leading contemporary art museums.
The 2025 edition of AWAA continued the initiative with the theme “Initiation.” In many African cultures, initiation marks the transition into adulthood through the transmission of sacred knowledge, trials, and symbolic death and rebirth. Artists were invited to reflect on these processes through both personal and collective experiences.
This year the award received more than 40 applications from artists representing 10 African countries: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Namibia, Zambia, Cameroon, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa. Both emerging and established artists took part, reaffirming AWAA’s role as a platform for discovering and supporting new voices in contemporary African art.
As part of AWAA 2025, exhibitions featuring the works of the finalists and winners will take place in Africa, Europe, and Russia. The first exhibition will open in Addis Ababa, with the award ceremony on April 14, marking the beginning of the exhibition program.
In 2024, the competition brought together participants from more than 12 African countries. Finalists and winners presented their works at exhibitions in Lusaka, Barcelona, and Moscow, introducing their artistic practices to international audiences.
One of the success stories of the award is Ethiopian artist Selamawit Gebretsadik, a participant of AWAA 2024. Following the competition, her works were presented at AWAA exhibitions in Zambia, Barcelona, and Moscow, where they attracted the attention of audiences and collectors. After the exhibition in Moscow, the artist gained collectors in Russia and began collaborating with a partner gallery.
In February 2026, Selamawit Gebretsadik held her first solo exhibition in Russia, becoming the first Ethiopian artist to present a solo show in the country. The project was accompanied by the publication of the first Russian art album dedicated to Ethiopian contemporary art and the work of Selamawit Gebretsadik, presented at ZILART, one of Russia’s leading contemporary art museums.
The 2025 edition of AWAA continued the initiative with the theme “Initiation.” In many African cultures, initiation marks the transition into adulthood through the transmission of sacred knowledge, trials, and symbolic death and rebirth. Artists were invited to reflect on these processes through both personal and collective experiences.
This year the award received more than 40 applications from artists representing 10 African countries: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Namibia, Zambia, Cameroon, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa. Both emerging and established artists took part, reaffirming AWAA’s role as a platform for discovering and supporting new voices in contemporary African art.
As part of AWAA 2025, exhibitions featuring the works of the finalists and winners will take place in Africa, Europe, and Russia. The first exhibition will open in Addis Ababa, with the award ceremony on April 14, marking the beginning of the exhibition program.