Ahead of the winner announcement on 6 August, meet the 12 finalists in the running for the 2025 ANNA Award.
Now in its fourth year, the ANNA Award was created to discover and support a new generation of women artists in Africa. This year saw over 800 entries from 38 countries across the continent. From that list, a top 12 has emerged. As we wait to find out who takes the main prize, we’re celebrating the finalists who’ve already made their mark with bold, meaningful work that challenges, connects and imagines new worlds.
Each finalist receives a dedicated profile on Latitudes Online, and the winner will walk away with a R100,000 cash prize from ANNA, a SAFFCA residency, a solo presentation at the 2026 RMB Latitudes Art Fair, a year’s supply of ANNA products, and more. There’s also an Audience Award up for grabs, voted for by the public.
Here are the Top 12 artists:
Azola Kingston (USA / South Africa)
A self-taught visual artist born in Philadelphia, USA, and raised in Johannesburg, Azola’s bold and vibrant work celebrates Blackness and community. Her latest body of work explores the idea of having a seat at the table, not as a gift but as a right.
“These stories aren’t just mine,” she says. “They’re echoes of a greater beauty, long overlooked, now impossible to ignore.”
Amy Rusch (South Africa)
Amy currently works with stitched thread and found plastic bags to explore time, rhythm, and transformation. Her process is physical and layered, linking personal histories to global waste.
“As an artist whose practice began with threads passed down from my maternal great grandmother and the female makers in our family, It’s an extraordinary honour for this to be validated by being selected as a finalist for the ANNA award. Working with these threads feels like it’s keeping a lineage alive.” she says.
Chigozie Obi (Nigeria)
Chigozie’s multimedia work deals with beauty, mental health, healing and identity, often influenced by personal and collective stories. Her figures are expressive and complex, showing the inner worlds we often hide.
“Recognition is always a nice reminder that my work is paying off and resonates with others,” she says.
Aleruchi Kinika (Nigeria)
Blending photography, writing and drawing, Aleruchi’s surrealist work draws on chiaroscuro and baroque drama to highlight femininity, beauty and emotion. Her influences include cinema and personal experience.
“It feels deeply exhilarating, and I am grateful to be part of this,” she says.
Chinecherem Peace Ifedilichukwu (Nigeria)
A textile artist exploring memory and emotion, Chinecherem sees her work as a space for storytelling and connection.
She says being shortlisted is “an invitation for others to step into my world of creativity and expression.”
Doaa Fakher (Egypt)
Doaa uses thick paint, silkscreen and sculpture to depict emotional states shaped by social injustice. Her work reflects vulnerability, power and human complexity.
“When the inner voice is shared through art, it can open space for dialogue across borders. I believe painting is a space to reflect, to face what cannot be fixed, and to give form to social pain — not as a solution, but as an honest presence,” she says.
Dina Nomena (Madagascar)
A visual artist and researcher, Dina uses textile, embroidery and archives to tell untold stories through a decolonial lens.
“To be a finalist is to stitch presence where absence once reigned,” she says.
Fetlework Tadesse (Ethiopia)
Known as Fela, she paints from self-reflection and daily life, exploring anatomy, movement and emotion. Her semi-realistic portraits blend inspiration from ordinary moments with questions about identity.
“I’m honoured to be chosen,” she says.
Haneem Christian (South Africa)
An archivist and filmmaker from Cape Town, Haneem’s work centres Queer African narratives and is rooted in community.
“My work exists within a lineage of visual resistance shaped by generations of African Queer women and gender-diverse people. Being named an ANNA Award finalist is not only a witnessing of my practice, but an honouring of the legacy I’ve inherited,” they say.
Naledi Maifala (Botswana)
Naledi’s expressionist paintings focus on stillness, beauty and presence. Inspired by flowers, pets and quiet moments, her work invites reflection and calm.
“It’s an affirmation of my voice, my vision, and the themes I explore, especially the idea of being present and content. It encourages me to keep creating from a place of stillness and truth,” she says.
Reem Aljeally (Sudan)
A painter and curator, Reem explores memory and space through a blend of architecture and visual arts. She’s also the founder of two platforms supporting Sudanese artists.
“Being one of the 12 finalists of the ANNA Award is more than just recognition; it’s proof of perseverance and acknowledgement of my work and voice as a woman.” she says.
Tinyiko Makwakwa (South Africa)
Tinyiko creates beaded and woven talismans that explore matrilineal heritage and African indigenous knowledge systems. Their practice is both spiritual and scholarly.
Quoting Arundhati Roy, Tinyiko says: “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
Voting for the Audience Award is open now on Latitudes Online, with the winner of the main ANNA Award announced 6 August 2025.
* For more art news, stay tuned to 10and5.com
