Woordtrofees 2026: Nominations announced | Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees

The nominations for the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees’ Woordtrofees Awards for 2026 have been announced. The winners will be announced on November 2nd at a special event in Stellenbosch.

The Woordtrofees annually honours artists who delivered outstanding performances at the festival. The winners each receive a certificate and prize money.

“We want to thank and congratulate all the artists,” says Dr Mareli Pretorius, convenor of the Woordtrofees panel and chair of the Stellenbosch University (SU) Drama Department. Pretorius says the high quality of work on this year’s programme was remarkable, despite the financial challenges facing the industry.

“It was striking that more than half of the theatre productions in 2026 were one- or two-person shows. A phenomenon that can partly (quite possibly largely) be attributed to the financial challenges within the performing arts. However, the work was of a very high standard consistently, and several categories had us wrestling for a while before we could decide on a shortlist,” says Pretorius.

Jo-Ann Floris, editorial member of the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees’ independent INK festival newspaper, also shares this impression of quality.

“For me, the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees is the annual standard by which festivals can be measured. This year was no exception, and I walked out of just about every show in awe of the quality of the productions and especially the outstanding actors and playwrights in the country. Here and there, there were productions that need some polishing, certainly, but the rest of the offering brilliantly filled that gap. I must express my appreciation for the variety and acknowledgement of the different forms of art and culture in our country,” says Floris.

“It was striking how many productions convinced on every level: as text, in the directing, in the acting, and in the design. The fact that Atropa, FaustX and MOFFIE were nominated in so many categories attests to this,” says Pretorius.

The Spier Theatre programme ranged from large, visually rich productions like FaustX, to intimate, actor-driven work like Elke briljante ding.

The following prizes will be awarded at the Woordtrofees Awards ceremony and therefore do not have shortlists: the top book sellers at the EasyEquities Writers’ Festival in the genres of fiction, poetry, non-fiction and lifestyle, the best journalist from the INK festival newspaper, the Martie Retief Meiring Prize, Festival Hero, and the awards for Words Open Worlds’ (WOW) educator as well as school of the year. WOW is a sister project of the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees, housed at SU.

The nominations are:

Best emerging artist: Toyota Music Festival, Dance, Spier Theatre

Dawn Fisher (Boerlesque)

Sibabalwe Gobe-Gysman (Awaken & Siba Gysman Project)

Chloë Loggenberg (Maurice Ravel: L’Enfant et les sortilèges; Operagunstelinge III)

Graigan Mentoor Papier (Jazz at the Konserve: Papier Family Band)

Melusi Shandu (Mozart to Verdi: Two Faces of Opera)

Mila Sobolewski (Glimpse)

Kristi Steyn (As die mooi aan ons haak)

Vihann van Rooyen (Markus (en die brandblusser op die derde verdieping))

Outstanding technical contribution

Brett Bailey (design: FaustX)

Wolf Britz (design: Die ander dogter)

Brydon Bolton, Njabulo Phungula, Inge Beckmann (music: autoplay)

Charl-Johan Lingenfelder (sound contribution: MOFFIE, An Iliad, Twee siele, een omhelsing, ge-gebergtes)

Janine Neethling and team (technical staging: Amanda Strydom: Sewentig, nog lewendig)

Exceptional contribution to contemporary music: small groups

Karin Hougaard: Kaalvoet (Karin Hougaard, with Luke van der Merwe and Leon Ecroignard)

Liedjies van Laurika (Daniel Anderson, Paul Ferreira)

Meesters en meltdowns (Lucinda Rosa Bosch, Wesley van der Westhuizen)

Plektrum (Mauritz Lotz, Schalk Joubert, Anjulie Nock, Peter Auret)

Zoid: Spawn (Karen Zoid, Ben Francis, Anton Eloff)

Exceptional contribution to contemporary music: larger groups

Amanda Strydom: Sewentig, nog lewendig (full company)

Prima! (Dean Balie and Bianca Flanders, with Ramon Alexander and the SU Brass Band and others)

Ramon Alexander-trio & Buddy Wells (Buddy Wells, Ramon Alexander, Adam Fredericks, Annemie Nel)

Wie is Bernoldus Niemand? (VOLK: Frank Freeman, Dillon Myburgh, Mika Burger, André Hough, Duncan Johnson)

Awaken & Siba Gysman Project (Sibabalwe Gobe-Gysman, Melisizwe Plaatjie, Malibongwe ‘Pizzo’ Magatyana, Ezra Smuts, Esihle Valela, Jayden Harebottle, Henco Bester, Athule Tshiwula, Julia Madison Theron, Sinelizwi Miza)

Exceptional contribution to classical music: instrumental

Claude Bolling: Suite vir fluit en jazz-trio (Charl du Plessis, Peter Auret, Werner Spies, Malané Hofmeyr-Burger)

Gioioso Piano Quartet: Hofmeyr, Mozart & Schumann (Suzanne Martens, Maya Egashira, Peter Martens, José Dias)

Shades of Blue (Liesl Stoltz, Dylan Tabisher, David Cyster, Roxanne Steffen, Elna van der Merwe)

Wind, Earth & Fire (Ralitza Macheva, Shannon Cook, Azra Isaacs, Rosamund Roth, Féroll-Jon Davids)

Cellissimo: KFO-tjellosekstet (Peter Martens, Eddie McLean, Rosamund Roth, Matthias Remley-Ender, Dane Coetzee, Ashlin Grobbelaar)

Exceptional contribution to classical music: vocal

An Italian Songbook (EuiHyun Park, Pieter Grobler, Salon Music String Quartet)

Maurice Ravel: L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (José Dias, vocal students at SU)

Stemme en verse: ’n Schubertiade (Jan Hugo, Clara Hugo, Pieter Hugo)

Voces Cordis (conductor: André van der Merwe)

Exceptional contribution to classical music: innovation

Gioioso Piano Quartet: Hofmeyr, Mozart & Schumann (Suzanne Martens, Maya Egashira, Peter Martens, José Dias)

Juliet String Quartet: Playlist (Annien Shaw, Matthew Campbell-Stead, Azra Isaacs, Babette Roosenschoon)

Stadskoor: Soekenjin (Stadskoor | -Choir | -iKwayara)

Best dance-driven production

autoplay (Darkroom Contemporary, with director & choreographer: Louise Coetzer)

Glimpse (Alyssa Jacobs, Kalene Sybil Botha, Mila Sobolewski, Nolwandle Makombe, Anlia Marais)

The Reservation (Figure of 8 Dance Theatre, met regie: Grant van Ster, Buhle Ngaba)

Twee siele, een omhelsing (Shaun Oelf, Ramsey Devin Lewis, Craig Katts, met regie: Ina Wichterich)

Best children’s theatre production

Kattekwaad en koekeloer (Mia Groenewald, Ané Lourens, with director & choreographer: Estelle Olivier)

Liewe Heksie word gescam (Eldon van der Merwe, Mia van der Merwe, with director: Margit Meyer-Rödenbeck)

Middel: Noord & Suid (Aidan Davies, Lukhona Mkunyana, with director: Amelda Brand)

Stinkie, los uit! (Sjaka S. Septembir)

Zonkie en die laaste boomhuis (Cindy Swanepoel, with director: Anèl Wood)

Best supporting actor: male

Joshwin Dyson (My kind druip)

Gantane Kusch (CRYBABY)

Geon Nel (Vlindervry)

Wian Taljaard (CRYBABY)

Eldon van der Merwe (Liewe Heksie word gescam)

Best supporting actor: female

Roeline Daneel (Atropa)

Nicole Holm (CRYBABY)

Rolanda Marais (Atropa)

Daneel van der Walt (ge-gebergtes)

Dawn Fisher (Boerlesque)

Best actor: male

Stian Bam (’n Middel)

Carlo Daniels (Eugene)

Albert Pretorius (Elke briljante ding)

David Viviers (MOFFIE)

Vihann van Rooyen (Markus (en die brandblusser op die derde verdieping))

Best actor: female

Bianca Flanders (Karamonk)

Carla Smith (Atropa)

Anna-Mart van der Merwe (Atropa)

Tinarie van Wyk Loots (’n Middel)

Sandra Prinsloo (Die ander dogter)

Best ensemble

Atropa

FaustX

ge-gebergtes

Wie call die shots?

Best script (newly written or adaptation)

Eugene: Saartjie Botha (based on the novel by Kirby van der Merwe)

FaustX: Brett Bailey

Markus (en die brandblusser op die derde verdieping): Vihann van Rooyen

MOFFIE: Philip Rademeyer (based on the novel by André Carl van der Merwe)

Best director

Brett Bailey (FaustX)

Marthinus Basson (Atropa)

Greg Karvellas (MOFFIE)

Cintaine Schutte (’n Middel)

Lara Foot (Die ander dogter)

Best production: comedy

CRYBABY

Elke briljante ding

Markus (en die brandblusser op die derde verdieping)

My kind druip

Best production: drama

Atropa

Eugene

FaustX

Moffie

Best festival influencer

Amalia Uys

Andrea Hurter

Carla Venter

Jean-Marié Stander

Lise van Schoor

The judging panel consisted of:

Convenor: Mareli Pretorius

Spier Theatre: Jurgen McEwan, Ira Blanckenberg, Henriëtta (Gryffenberg) Plattner, Malan Steyn, Ivan Abrahams

Contemporary music: Anna Davel, Paula Fourie, Liela Groenewald, Gustav Franzsen, Niël Rademan, Wendy Joy Crowley

Classical music: Maryke Lintvelt, Arthur Feder, Zenobia Kloppers

Dance: Ananda Fuchs, Mmatumisang Motsisi

It was a festival!

And in the blink of an eye, the festival is over, and what a festival it was! Our wildest expectations were exceeded. Thank you for buying so many tickets. We issued 75 201 tickets – that is 10% more than last year. This success is thanks to people like you: the ticket buyer, the artists and everyone directly or indirectly involved,” says Saartjie Botha, director of the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees. No festival is possible without the support of sponsors and donors. The Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees expresses its gratitude to the people who invest in the arts through their support of the festival:

The main sponsors: Het Jan Marais Nationale Fonds, Toyota South Africa Motors and Stellenbosch University.

Platinum sponsors: Spier, EasyEquities and Netwerk24.

Gold sponsor: kykNET.

Silver sponsors: Strauss & Co, ATKV, Stellenbosch Wine Routes, Visit Stellenbosch, Standard Bank and RSG.

Bronze sponsors: Open Window, Hertz, Strive Capital, Aramex, LIFT, Bok Radio and Stellenbosch Municipality.

Trusts and donors: Jannie Mouton Foundation, NATi, Woordfees Benefactors, Fynbos Trust, Dirk Nagtegaal, L.W. Hiemstra Trust, Stigting vir Bemagtiging deur Afrikaans and Johann Brink Trust.

Thank you as well to all our product sponsors, venue sponsors, project sponsors, media partners and publishing partners.

Media enquiries: Email Candice Jantjies at candice@woordfees.co.za.