Golla Art Gallery, Her Voice Foundation, and I-A Gallery Russia are pleased to invite you to the opening of the exhibition and awards ceremony presenting the finalists and winners of the African Women in Art Award (AWAA) 2025.

The African Women in Art Award is a visual art competition created to highlight the exceptional talent of women artists from Sub-Saharan Africa. The 2025 edition brings together more than 40 artists from over 10 countries, including Angola, Rwanda, Zambia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa

United by the theme “Initiation,” the artists explore transformation, identity, cultural heritage, and personal journeys through contemporary visual language. The exhibition presents works by the finalists and winners of AWAA 2025, celebrating the diversity and creative voices of women artists across the African continent.

The African Women in Art Award 2025 has officially concluded. All stages of the award have been completed and the winners have been announced.

This year’s theme was “Initiation.” In many African cultures, initiation marks the transition into adulthood and includes the transmission of sacred knowledge, trials, symbolic death and rebirth, and sometimes physical transformation. Artists were invited to explore this complex theme through both personal and collective experience, rethinking tradition within a contemporary artistic context.

Both emerging and established artists participated in the award. As part of AWAA 2025, we received: over 40 submissions from artists across • 10 African countries: Ethiopia, Nigeria, Namibia, Zambia, Cameroon, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa.
We sincerely thank every participant for their trust, courage, and sincere artistic expression. It is an honor for us to support a space where women’s voices are shared and heard through art.
As part of AWAA 2025, exhibitions featuring the works of the winners and finalists will take place across Africa, Europe, and Russia. The first exhibition will open on April 15 in Addis Ababa.

We look forward to continuing to share the powerful artistic voices of African women with international audiences.