Third Annual South African Social Media Awards Are Around the Corner
It’s award season, and the time has come for those who’ve been hard at work to be honoured. Due to take place on the 29th of October 2023 at the Sandton Convention Centre, the 2023 South African Social Media Awards (SASMAs) are around the corner and are into their third year, featuring performances by Cici, Nkosazana Daughter, and PD Jokes.
We spoke to Tuwani Motapa, the SASMA’s digital media manager and organiser, to speak about the awards and what they are all about.
“The South African Social Media Awards are for content creators, influencers, brands and agencies. We try to give agencies and influencers some shine because they work so hard but there’s no organisation applauding them or giving them something like accolades to stand on,” Tuwani said.
This year’s award show are the third annual spectacle and there are twenty-nine categories which give props to the very best individuals, campaigns, and brands utilizing digital tools. Past winners include Grammy-winning musician Zakes Bantwini, beauty influencer Mihlali Ndamase, and former professional footballer Teko Modise, among others.
“When it comes to the impact of the SASMAs, after the first year, a lot of influencers, those who campaigned for and won the award, have seen a change in the way they are perceived in the public. For example, some have been getting more endorsements and more brand recognition. Others are getting more brand deals and support from our sponsors to the point of doing seminars with them and going to universities to teach students about certain things like content creation and about social media,” said Motapa.
This year’s judges include radio personality Freddy Madise, radio producer Neo Koah, station manager Hope Malatsi, and content creators Tinashe Kembo and Tumelo Matela. Yet, even though the SASMAs will be ajudicated by these esteemed names, the awards are still very much up for public decision.
“The SASMAs are public awards. Nominations open early in the year for public nominations – so anybody is allowed to put anyone’s name forward who is an influencer, content creator, or agency. Then there’s vetting, where it is determined who will be nominated what category and organising the nominees according to their approriate contribution. After that, it goes to the judges, who then rate the influencers, content creators, and agencies according to a strict criteria. Once the nominees get 50% from the judges, the nominees go out to the public, who then fulfill another 50% according to their votes. So it’s up to the people overall.”
Voting lines are open and the nominees list can be found here: https://www.sasma.co.za/nominees/
Tickets can be found at CompuTicket: https://computicket-boxoffice.com/e/3rd-annual-south-african-social-media-awards-ceremony-V2ZZj1