The biggest African music awards are The Headies (Nigeria), the South African Music Awards, AFRIMA (pan-African), the Telecel Ghana Music Awards and the Trace Awards. The Grammys and the BET Awards also have categories for African artists. Most of these shows don’t run on fixed dates, so below we list when each one usually happens, what the main prizes are and who won the top award most recently. Last checked: October 30, 2026.
The African music awards calendar at a glance
| Award | Country | Usually held | Main categories | Latest top-prize winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Headies | Nigeria (18th edition in Toronto) | Varies; 18th set for late October 2026 | Song of the Year, Afrobeats Single, Best Male and Female Artiste, Next Rated | 18th edition results not confirmed as of Oct 30, 2026; 17th Song of the Year went to Asake, “Lonely at the Top” (April 2025) |
| South African Music Awards (SAMAs) | South Africa | Mid to late year; SAMA32 was in August 2026 | Album of the Year, Female and Male Artist, genre albums | HLE, The Ground We’re On (Album of the Year, 2026) |
| AFRIMA | Pan-African, with the African Union | Not annual; 9th was January 2026, 10th is May 2027 | Continental and regional artist, song and producer prizes | Not confirmed as of Oct 30, 2026 |
| Telecel Ghana Music Awards | Ghana | Usually May, Accra | Artiste of the Year, Album/EP, Record of the Year | Black Sherif (Artiste of the Year, 2026) |
| Trace Awards | Pan-African | Irregular | Song, artist and regional prizes | Not confirmed as of Oct 30, 2026 |
| MTV Africa Music Awards | Pan-African | Dormant | Not active | No ceremony announced |
| Grammys: Best African Music Performance | United States | Usually February | One song category | Tyla, “Push 2 Start” (2026) |
| BET Awards: Best International Act | United States | Usually June | Best International Act | Not confirmed as of Oct 30, 2026 |
Myth
People often assume every major African award show runs once a year in the same month. That isn’t true. AFRIMA’s 9th edition was in January 2026 and the 10th is set for May 2027. The Headies went from an April 2025 show in Lagos to an October 2026 show in Toronto. Always check the current edition’s dates.
The Headies (Nigeria)
The Headies are Nigeria’s best-known music awards. The ceremony was established in 2006 and originally called the Hip Hop World Awards. Our feature The Headies Explained covers the history in more depth. Here we focus on where the show stands now.
The 17th edition, billed as The Headies 2024, took place on 27 April 2025 in Victoria Island, Lagos. At that show, Tems’ “Burning” won Best Recording of the Year, while Asake’s “Lonely at the Top” was named Song of the Year.
The 18th edition moved abroad. Organisers announced that the ceremony would be hosted in Toronto, Canada, with the theme “Africa to the World,” also recognising African diaspora talent. Fola led the nominations. The nominees list, unveiled on August 25, gave Fola 10 nominations, with Omah Lay, Mavo and Wizkid close behind. Congolese star Awilo Longomba was named for the Hall of Fame honour.
Reports disagree on the exact date. Most put the show on October 23, while another outlet listed October 25 in Toronto. We have not yet confirmed the full winners list from official sources, so we have left it out.
How Headies winners are chosen
The Headies Academy organises the ceremony and honours achievements in Nigerian and African music during a set eligibility period. Those windows can be long. For 2026, eligibility covered music released between August 1, 2024, and April 30, 2026. That explains why some songs are still collecting awards long after they left the charts. Viewers’ Choice is the category the public influences most directly.
South African Music Awards (SAMAs)
The SAMAs are run by the Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA). Most prizes go to albums in specific genres, so amapiano, maskandi, gqom, gospel and Afrikaans pop all have their own categories.
SAMA32 was a two-night show. It was held at the Sun City Superbowl on 15 August under the theme “The Future Sounds Like Now Now”. HLE and Kabza De Small were the leading winners, each taking three awards. HLE won Album of the Year for The Ground We’re On and also took Female Artist of the Year. Mzukulu won Male Artist of the Year and Best Maskandi Album for Ng’Funa Intozami.
For amapiano fans, Kabza De Small won Best Amapiano Album for Bab’Motha, while DJ Maphorisa and Xduppy won Most Streamed Song of the Year for Ngomoya. Tyla received the AfriPure International Achievement Award, and Oskido was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
The timing changes from year to year. SAMA 30 took place on 2 November 2024, while SAMA32 was held in mid-August. At SAMA31, Goldmax took Male Artist of the Year and Play At Your Own Risk won Album of the Year.
Listen next
Kabza De Small’s Bab’Motha, the album that won Best Amapiano Album at SAMA32.
AFRIMA (All Africa Music Awards)
AFRIMA is the main continental award run with a political partner. It was established in 2014 by the International Committee of AFRIMA in partnership with the African Union. It covers the whole continent, with regional categories that give artists from North, Central, East and Southern Africa a fair hearing.
The 9th AFRIMA was held from January 7 to 11, 2026, in Lagos, Nigeria. That put it straight after the Lagos festive season. If you are planning a Detty December trip to Lagos, it is worth checking whether a later AFRIMA edition falls inside your dates.
The build-up to the 10th edition has taken the team around the continent. There were activations in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire before a Casablanca visit. The 10th AFRIMA global calendar was then unveiled in Los Angeles on September 20, 2026.
How AFRIMA entries and judging work
This is the one award on our list where artists submit their own work. The entry portal opened on October 11, 2026 and runs until January 10, 2027, and it is open to artists, songwriters and producers. Interest is high: the 9th edition received a record 10,717 submissions. An International Jury with members from each region then judges the entries. Kenya’s Lucy Ilado represents Eastern Africa, and our guide to Kenyan music explains why that region needs a voice on the panel. The 10th AFRIMA is scheduled for May 18–23, 2027, in Lagos.
Telecel Ghana Music Awards
Ghana’s main music awards have the most predictable schedule on this list. The last two editions were held on the second Saturday of May at the same venue. The 2026 edition was held on 9 May 2026 at the Grand Arena of the Accra International Conference Centre, recognising work from 2025. The 2025 show was held on 10 May 2025 at the same arena. TV3 broadcasts it in Ghana and Akwaaba Magic shows it outside the country.
Black Sherif won the top prize in 2026. He beat Medikal, Stonebwoy, Wendy Shay, Sarkodie and Diana Hamilton to win Artiste of the Year on the back of his album Iron Boy. At 24, he became the youngest artiste in the awards’ history to win the category twice.
How TGMA winners are chosen
In March 2026, the Ghana Music Award Academy Board announced the 27th TGMA nominees. The board has used its authority before. In one year it chose not to give Artiste of the Year to any nominee, which let the late dancehall star Ebony Reigns take that year’s spotlight.
Trace Awards
The Trace Awards are run by Trace, the music TV and streaming brand, and cover Africa and its diaspora with a strong focus on Afrobeats music. Editions have not followed a fixed yearly schedule. As of October 30, 2026, we have not confirmed the next edition’s date, host city or the most recent top-prize winner from official sources, so we have not listed them.
MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs)
The MAMAs were once the biggest televised African music awards. MTV has not staged them since the mid-2010s, and no revival had been announced when we checked. If you see an “MTV Africa awards” nominee list online, treat it with caution unless MTV itself has published it.
Grammys: Best African Music Performance
The Recording Academy created this category in 2024 to recognise recordings that showcase African music. Winners are chosen by the Academy’s voting members, not by sales or streams. Our explainer on the Grammy Best African Music Performance category covers the eligibility rules in detail.
Every winner so far has been a woman: Tyla with “Water” in 2024, Tems with “Love Me JeJe” in 2025 and Tyla with “Push 2 Start” in 2026. The 2026 award was presented at the 68th Grammys on February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Tyla beat Burna Boy’s “Love”, Davido and Omah Lay’s “With You”, and Ayra Starr and Wizkid’s “Gimme Dat”, as well as Eddy Kenzo and Mehran Matin’s “Hope & Love”. For the story behind her first win, read Tyla Water Explained.
African music was also recognised outside the category that weekend. Fela Anikulapo Kuti was honoured posthumously with a Lifetime Achievement Award the night before.
BET Awards: Best International Act
Best International Act is the BET Awards category where African stars usually compete. Nigerian and South African artists often make the shortlist alongside acts from the UK, France and Brazil. The ceremony is normally held in the United States around June. We could not confirm the latest winner from official sources by October 30, 2026, so we have not named one.
How to read the African music awards calendar
Three patterns show up when you put these shows side by side:
- Ghana is the most predictable. The TGMAs were held in early May at the same Accra venue in both 2025 and 2026.
- Eligibility windows lag behind the charts. A song can win a Headies or SAMA well after it peaked, because the review periods can run longer than a year.
- The shows are moving abroad. The Headies held its 18th edition in Toronto, and AFRIMA launched its 10th-edition calendar in Los Angeles. Organisers are clearly targeting diaspora audiences and international partners.
FAQ
What is the biggest African music award?
It depends on what you mean by biggest. AFRIMA is the largest by scope and entries, with African Union backing and over 10,000 submissions for its 9th edition. The Grammy for Best African Music Performance gets the most global media coverage.
When is the next AFRIMA?
The 10th AFRIMA is scheduled for May 18–23, 2027, in Lagos. Entries close on January 10, 2027.
Who has won the Grammy for Best African Music Performance?
Tyla won in 2024 and 2026, and Tems won in 2025. Tyla is the only artist to have won it twice.
Can artists enter these awards themselves?
For AFRIMA, yes, through its official entry portal. The Headies, SAMAs and TGMAs announce nominees through their own academies and judging panels after their eligibility periods close.
Are the MTV Africa Music Awards still running?
No. MTV has not held the MAMAs since the mid-2010s and had not announced a return as of October 30, 2026.