2025 Tilga Art Prize
South Africa Edition
Abongile Sidzumo
Cape Town, RSA
Visual Artist
Buqaqawuli Nobakada
Johannesburg, RSA
Visual Artist
Kuhmo Ramaila
Johannesburg, RSA
Visual Artist
Tshepo Sizwe Phokojoe
Johannesburg, RSA
Visual Artist
Brian Montshiwa
Johannesburg, RSA
Multidisciplinary Art
Cheriese Dilrajh
Durban, RSA
Multimedia Visual Artist
Mpho Jacobs
Pietermaritzburg, RSA
Multidisciplinary Art
Boemo Diale
Johannesburg, RSA
Visual Artist
Keabetswe Seema
Johannesburg, RSA
Multimedia Visual Artist
Princia Matungulu
Johannesburg, RSA
Visual Artist
Your 2025 Semifinalists!
We’re proud to introduce the ten talented artists selected as semifinalists for the 2025 Tilga Art Prize: South Africa Edition. Chosen from a wide pool of impressive submissions, these emerging voices represent a powerful range of creative disciplines, from photography and painting to sculpture, illustration and multidisciplinary arts.
Each semifinalist has demonstrated a compelling vision, strong artistic practice, and a deep commitment to telling stories that reflect their experiences, communities, and perspectives.
2025 Tilga Art Prize
South Africa Edition
Your 2025 Semifinalists!
Boemo Diale
Johannesburg, RSA
Visual Artist
Buqaqawuli Nobakada
Johannesburg, RSA
Visual Artist
Cheriese Dilrajh
Durban, RSA
Multimedia Visual Artist
Keabetswe Seema
Johannesburg, RSA
Multimedia Visual Artist
Kuhmo Ramaila
Johannesburg, RSA
Visual Artist
Mpho Jacobs
Pietermaritzburg, RSA
Multidisciplinary Art
Brian Montshiwa
Johannesburg, RSA
Multidisciplinary Art
Abongile Sidzumo
Cape Town, RSA
Visual Artist
Tshepo Sizwe Phokojoe
Johannesburg, RSA
Visual Artist
Princia Matungulu
Johannesburg, RSA
Visual Artist
We’re proud to introduce the ten talented artists selected as semifinalists for the 2025 Tilga Art Prize: South Africa Edition. Chosen from a wide pool of impressive submissions, these emerging voices represent a powerful range of creative disciplines, from photography and painting to sculpture, illustration and multidisciplinary arts.
Each semifinalist has demonstrated a compelling vision, strong artistic practice, and a deep commitment to telling stories that reflect their experiences, communities, and perspectives.
Competition Details
One reference letter from tutors, artists and/or art professionals
A portfolio of 6 to 8 digital images of most recent artworks
Ideal in jpg files or photos of 300 dpi or higher (max of 10MB) or videos (not to exceed 5 mins)
Include the title of each work with the medium and date. If not titled, please write “untitled”. This could be captioned under each artwork or included in an attached checklist
A conceptual proposal to create artwork addressing any of the following social issues in South Africa - poverty, youth unemployment or social inequality
The Award
Four artists will be selected as finalists
1st Prize winner - $5,000
2nd Prize winner - $3,000
3rd Prize winner - $2,000
4th Prize winner - $1,000
The 1st Prize winner also receives an all expense paid 3-month residency at Bag Factory Artists’ Studios in Johannesburg.
Additional ongoing benefits for all winners include:
Personal Mentorship
Professional development through zoom talks
Global publicity by all supporting partners
Membership of a growing supporting community of fellow Tilga Prize Finalists
Competition Details
One reference letter from tutors, artists and/or art professionals
A portfolio of 6 to 8 digital images of most recent artworks
Ideal in jpg files or photos of 300 dpi or higher (max of 10MB) or videos (not to exceed 5 mins)
Include the title of each work with the medium and date. If not titled, please write “untitled”. This could be captioned under each artwork or included in an attached checklist
A conceptual proposal to create artwork addressing any of the following social issues in South Africa - poverty, youth unemployment or social inequality
The Award
Four artists will be selected as finalists
1st Prize winner - $5,000
2nd Prize winner - $3,000
3rd Prize winner - $2,000
4th Prize winner - $1,000
The 1st Prize winner also receives an all expense paid 3-month residency at Bag Factory Artists’ Studios in Johannesburg.
Additional ongoing benefits for all winners include:
Personal Mentorship
Professional development through zoom talks
Global publicity by all supporting partners
Membership of a growing supporting community of fellow Tilga Prize Finalists
Meet Our Judges
Pule D. Taukobong
Art Collector
A renowned investor in the African tech startup space, Pule is a Founding Partner at CRE Venture Capital, and has invested in many successful startups across the continent, including Andela, Yoco and SweepSouth to name a few. He previously founded Africa Angels Network, the first angel investment group to focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to that, he held several investment roles at Investec in Johannesburg, Cape Town and New York.
Pule is a graduate of the Durban University of Technology and a Kauffman Fellow. The Kaufmann Fellowship is a highly sought-after two-year programme dedicated exclusively to the world of innovation investing. After several years of living in the USA, he has returned to South Africa with his family.
As well as being passionate about tech, Pule is an avid collector of art from across the continent. His family's collection consists of over 700 pieces of carefully curated unique African artworks.
2025 Residency Partner
Julie Taylor
Gallerist/Curator
Julie Taylor is founder and director of Guns & Rain, a Johannesburg-based gallery for contemporary African art, with a strong local and international programm of exhibitions and collaborations. Founded in 2014 as one of Africa’s first online galleries, Guns & Rain was established to address the under-representation of African art online and globally. Today, the gallery works with over twenty emerging artists from five African countries and is known both for its leaning towards social and political themes, and for identifying new talent.
Julie is an anthropologist, communications guru and art entrepreneur, interested in addressing the under-representation of African fine art in the global economy. Before moving into art, she was Google’s Head of Communications and Public Affairs for Sub-Saharan Africa. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, she holds degrees from Oxford and Cambridge in Social Anthropology and Development Studies.
Moni Aisida is the Executive Director at Guest Artists Space. In addition to a background in Fintech and Health, Moni has over 8 years of experience in the arts industry, including at SMO Contemporary, Art X Lagos, and Affinity Gallery. She is best known for her work with bringing to the fore, emerging art practices, and institutions.
She is an ardent believer in, and keen observer of, the individualities and intricacies of human qualities which translate into a genuine interest in human behaviors and storytelling. With a background in psychology she understand how people think and what makes them tick, and her years in the art industry means she is able to combine both experiences resulting in a willingness for discovery, immense positivity and a malleability that allows for thriving in any environment.
Moni is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University with Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Psychology degree.
Natasha Becker
Curator of African Art,
The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
Born and raised in South Africa, Becker has focused on presenting the work of African artists, African American artists, and artists of the African diaspora. Working in both Cape Town and New York City over the past decade, she has organized numerous exhibitions and international initiatives as an independent curator. Prior to joining the Fine Arts Museums, she served as curator-in-residence at Faction Art Projects in Harlem. Becker is also cofounder of two collaborative curatorial platforms: Assembly Room in New York City and the Underline Show in Johannesburg.
Prior to working at Faction Art Projects, Becker served as curatorial adviser at the Face Foundation and co-curator at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice. She has a track record of promoting artists from Africa, the African diaspora, and the global south, as well as women artists, in addition to centering social justice within the contemporary art dialogue. Perilous Bodies and Radical Love, two group shows held at the Ford Foundation’s new gallery, wove together the perspectives of 42 international artists on issues of justice and liberation.
Becker holds a master’s degree in African history from the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa, and completed her PhD coursework in art history at Binghamton University, New York. She began her tenure at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco on December 1, 2020.
Simphiwe Ndzube
Artist
Simphiwe Ndzube lives and works in Los Angeles, CA and Cape Town, South Africa. He received his BFA from the Michaelis School of Fine Arts in 2015. His practice consists of painting, collage, performance, sound, and sculptural forms that explore the nuances of freedom and agency. Inspired by history, remembering/retelling, language, and music, Ndzube creates worlds of characters and bursting landscapes that challenge the idea of the individual and the nation. In a world he terms The Mine Moon, Ndzube draws influence from his upbringing in a ‘post-apartheid’ South Africa which lingers with the weight of history, subjugation, and violence. However, with a sharp playfulness, Ndzube brings figures and landscapes to life, as they sit between the poles of mythology and realism. The artist does not insist on the aptness and rigidity of ‘historical truth’, but instead emphasizes the art of storytelling with figures brimming with energy, and encompassing the human realities that befall them.
He has exhibited at several renowned institutions across the globe including Denver Art Museum, Denver USA; NSU Art Museum, Fort Lauderdale USA; Stevenson Gallery, Johannesburg; The 15th Lyon Biennale, Lyon France; Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles USA; Rubell Museum, Miami USA; CC Foundation, Shanghai, China; etc. (2018, solo). His work is collected by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Denver Art Museum; Musée d’art Contemporain de Lyon, France; Iziko South African National Gallery, South Africa; Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, South Africa; Denver Art Museum; Rubell Museum; and many others.
Moni Aisida
Executive Director at Guest Artists Space
Maria Fidel Regueros
Director, Bag Factory Artists’ Studios
As an Independent Curator, Lecturer, Researcher and Project Manager and a mother of two, Maria has been involved in numerous creative projects in South Africa and abroad.
Within South Africa’s creative industry in general and the visual arts sector in particular, Maria has occupied various positions within Municipal and Tertiary Institutions, as well as Non-profit Organisations. Within these entities her roles have focused on strategic development, content research, project and organisational development, curatorial exhibition projects, educational content and audience development strategies within small, medium to large scale projects.
Between 2011 – 2020, Maria founded and co-directed the arts organisation/project space ROOM Space & Projects NPC, in Johannesburg. ROOM focused on the presentation of works by young career South African and regional artists and professionalisation opportunities for Arts Administrators and Curators. Since late 2022, she has held the position of Director at the iconic visual arts institution Bag Factory Artists’ Studios, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Her Colombian/Bulgarian heritage combined with her residing in the Southern African region since the late 80s and in South Africa since 2000, have shaped her commitment and focus on South Africa and Global South issues. Her passion for the development of the creative industries, and visual arts in particular resonate in her professional involvements and practice.
Maria is an Alum of University of Witwatersrand, the International Curators Intensive (ICI) Network (USA) and De Appel’s Gallerist Programme (Netherlands).
Recently, Maria completed her MBA at Henley Business School (South Africa). She holds a BA Honors majoring in Heritage Studies (with a focus on Museums & Public Culture) and Socio Cultural Anthropology (University of Witwatersrand).
Meet Our Judges
Pule D. Taukobong
Art Collector
A renowned investor in the African tech startup space, Pule is a Founding Partner at CRE Venture Capital, and has invested in many successful startups across the continent, including Andela, Yoco and SweepSouth to name a few. He previously founded Africa Angels Network, the first angel investment group to focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to that, he held several investment roles at Investec in Johannesburg, Cape Town and New York.
Pule is a graduate of the Durban University of Technology and a Kauffman Fellow. The Kaufmann Fellowship is a highly sought-after two-year programme dedicated exclusively to the world of innovation investing. After several years of living in the USA, he has returned to South Africa with his family.
As well as being passionate about tech, Pule is an avid collector of art from across the continent. His family's collection consists of over 700 pieces of carefully curated unique African artworks
Julie Taylor
Gallerist/Curator
Julie Taylor is founder and director of Guns & Rain, a Johannesburg-based gallery for contemporary African art, with a strong local and international programm of exhibitions and collaborations. Founded in 2014 as one of Africa’s first online galleries, Guns & Rain was established to address the under-representation of African art online and globally. Today, the gallery works with over twenty emerging artists from five African countries and is known both for its leaning towards social and political themes, and for identifying new talent.
Julie is an anthropologist, communications guru and art entrepreneur, interested in addressing the under-representation of African fine art in the global economy. Before moving into art, she was Google’s Head of Communications and Public Affairs for Sub-Saharan Africa. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, she holds degrees from Oxford and Cambridge in Social Anthropology and Development Studies.
Moni Aisida
Executive Director at Guest Artists Space
Moni Aisida is the Executive Director at Guest Artists Space. In addition to a background in Fintech and Health, Moni has over 8 years of experience in the arts industry, including at SMO Contemporary, Art X Lagos, and Affinity Gallery. She is best known for her work with bringing to the fore, emerging art practices, and institutions.
She is an ardent believer in, and keen observer of, the individualities and intricacies of human qualities which translate into a genuine interest in human behaviors and storytelling. With a background in psychology she understand how people think and what makes them tick, and her years in the art industry means she is able to combine both experiences resulting in a willingness for discovery, immense positivity and a malleability that allows for thriving in any environment.
Moni is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University with Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Psychology degree.
Natasha Becker
Curator of African Art,
The Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco
Born and raised in South Africa, Becker has focused on presenting the work of African artists, African American artists, and artists of the African diaspora. Working in both Cape Town and New York City over the past decade, she has organized numerous exhibitions and international initiatives as an independent curator. Prior to joining the Fine Arts Museums, she served as curator-in-residence at Faction Art Projects in Harlem. Becker is also cofounder of two collaborative curatorial platforms: Assembly Room in New York City and the Underline Show in Johannesburg.
Prior to working at Faction Art Projects, Becker served as curatorial adviser at the Face Foundation and co-curator at the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice. She has a track record of promoting artists from Africa, the African diaspora, and the global south, as well as women artists, in addition to centering social justice within the contemporary art dialogue. Perilous Bodies and Radical Love, two group shows held at the Ford Foundation’s new gallery, wove together the perspectives of 42 international artists on issues of justice and liberation.
Becker holds a master’s degree in African history from the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa, and completed her PhD coursework in art history at Binghamton University, New York. She began her tenure at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco on December 1, 2020.
Simphiwe Ndzube
Artist
Simphiwe Ndzube lives and works in Los Angeles, CA and Cape Town, South Africa. He received his BFA from the Michaelis School of Fine Arts in 2015. His practice consists of painting, collage, performance, sound, and sculptural forms that explore the nuances of freedom and agency. Inspired by history, remembering/retelling, language, and music, Ndzube creates worlds of characters and bursting landscapes that challenge the idea of the individual and the nation. In a world he terms The Mine Moon, Ndzube draws influence from his upbringing in a ‘post-apartheid’ South Africa which lingers with the weight of history, subjugation, and violence. However, with a sharp playfulness, Ndzube brings figures and landscapes to life, as they sit between the poles of mythology and realism. The artist does not insist on the aptness and rigidity of ‘historical truth’, but instead emphasizes the art of storytelling with figures brimming with energy, and encompassing the human realities that befall them.
He has exhibited at several renowned institutions across the globe including Denver Art Museum, Denver USA; NSU Art Museum, Fort Lauderdale USA; Stevenson Gallery, Johannesburg; The 15th Lyon Biennale, Lyon France; Jeffrey Deitch, Los Angeles USA; Rubell Museum, Miami USA; CC Foundation, Shanghai, China; etc. (2018, solo). His work is collected by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Denver Art Museum; Musée d’art Contemporain de Lyon, France; Iziko South African National Gallery, South Africa; Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, South Africa; Denver Art Museum; Rubell Museum; and many others.
Maria Fidel Regueros
Director, Bag Factory Artists’ Studios
As an Independent Curator, Lecturer, Researcher and Project Manager and a mother of two, Maria has been involved in numerous creative projects in South Africa and abroad.
Within South Africa’s creative industry in general and the visual arts sector in particular, Maria has occupied various positions within Municipal and Tertiary Institutions, as well as Non-profit Organisations. Within these entities her roles have focused on strategic development, content research, project and organisational development, curatorial exhibition projects, educational content and audience development strategies within small, medium to large scale projects.
Between 2011 – 2020, Maria founded and co-directed the arts organisation/project space ROOM Space & Projects NPC, in Johannesburg. ROOM focused on the presentation of works by young career South African and regional artists and professionalisation opportunities for Arts Administrators and Curators. Since late 2022, she has held the position of Director at the iconic visual arts institution Bag Factory Artists’ Studios, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Her Colombian/Bulgarian heritage combined with her residing in the Southern African region since the late 80s and in South Africa since 2000, have shaped her commitment and focus on South Africa and Global South issues. Her passion for the development of the creative industries, and visual arts in particular resonate in her professional involvements and practice.
Maria is an Alum of University of Witwatersrand, the International Curators Intensive (ICI) Network (USA) and De Appel’s Gallerist Programme (Netherlands).
Recently, Maria completed her MBA at Henley Business School (South Africa). She holds a BA Honors majoring in Heritage Studies (with a focus on Museums & Public Culture) and Socio Cultural Anthropology (University of Witwatersrand).
2025 Residency Partner
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