Zimdancehall pioneer Winky D, and UK based Zimbabwean music festival Zimfest, have been named among the nominees for the 43rd annual International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA).
Winky DWinky D, who has become a recognisable name across the continent in the dancehall genre, is up for the Best African Dancehall Entertainer Award, alongside Uganda's Cindy Sanyu, Kenya's Redsan, Ghana's Shatta Wale, Nigeria's Timaya, and Republic of the Congo's Sosey. This is Winky D's fifth nomination on the platform, with the dancehall star having won the award multiple times before.
Zimfest is the running for the Concert Of The Year (One Day) Award, alongside Miami's Best of the Best, Jamaica's Intimate Jamaica Concert, Ghana's Shattafest and Beyond Kontrol - Medikel.
The event's 2025 edition was featured in the St Vincent's Times, with Jermaine Young-Bushay, Founder of Caribbeans Connects — a platform created to connect Caribbean people to each other and to global cultures through creative collaboration, stating that he discovered a cultural synergy between Jamaica and Zimbabwe at the concert.
"I’d never heard of Zim Dancehall before,” said Jermaine. “But the moment I felt the bass, saw the crowd move, and absorbed the energy, especially from artist like Winky D, Jah Hanief & more — I saw a lot of similarities with Jamaican Dancehall. The lyrics may be in Shona, but the vibe was still there," stated Jermaine.
The 43rd annual International Reggae and World Music Awards will be dedicated to Hon. Justice Shelvin L.M. Hall, and carry the theme "JAMAICA RISE," saluting the music industry and those who united and contributed to Jamaica’s Hurricane Melissa relief efforts.
Public/fan voting is now open, and it ends: Midnight, May 5, 2026. Winners will be announced on Sunday, May 17, 2026 at LPAC.
You can vote for Winky D and Zimfest here.