Nollywood’s most glamorous evening is in full swing tonight. The 12th edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, AMVCA 2026, is currently underway, with the red carpet kicking off at 4:00 p.m. WAT and the main awards ceremony starting at 7:00 p.m. WAT. The night is airing live across all Africa Magic channels on DStv and GOtv, and also streaming on DStv Stream and GOtv Stream.
Below is the updated list of winners and nominees:
1. BEST COSTUME DESIGN: COLOURS OF FIRE – VALERIE OKEKE (WINNER)
Other nominees: “The Serpent’s Gift” – Mary Chukwuma; “The Real Housewives of Lagos (S3)” – Deola Art Alade, Darey Art Alade; “Something About The Briggs” – Yolanda Okereke; “To Kill a Monkey” – Ikechukwu Urum, John Joseph Angel
2. BEST MAKE UP: “WARLORD” – HAKEEM ONILOGBO (HAKEEM EFFECT) (WINNER)
Other nominees: “Behind The Scenes” – Mojisola Imam; “Lisabi: A Legend Is Born” – Adeola Bamgboye; “Gingerrr” – Dablaq Artistry; “Abanisete” – Adeola Bamgboye; “Suky” – Ruth Harcourt; “Labake Olododo” – Adeola Bamgboye
3. BEST ART DIRECTION: COLOURS OF FIRE – AJAMOLAYA BUNMI (WINNER)
Other nominees: “The Serpent’s Gift” – Zainab Oladipupo; “The Herd” – Omolade Abisola; “Aljana” – Olatunji Afolayan, Gideon Stephen; “Suky” – Victor Akpan; “Inimba” – Thabiso Senne
4. BEST SOUND DESIGN: MY FATHER’S SHADOW – PIUS FATOKE, CJ MIRRA (WINNER)
Other nominees: “Gingerrr” – Tolu Obanro; “Ben Made It” – Vaughan Phillips; “The Party” – Tolu Obanro; “Sebata: The Beast” – Vaughan Phillips; “The Herd” – Fisayo Adefolaju
5. BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: TO KILL A MONKEY – KABELO THATHE (WINNER)
Other nominees: “My Father’s Shadow” – Jermaine Edwards; “The Herd” – Emmanuel Igbekele; “Finding Nina” – Daanong Gyang; “The Serpent’s Gift” – Emmanuel Igbekele; “Stitches” – KC Obiajulu; “Gingerrr” – Emmanuel Igbekele
6. BEST WRITING TV SERIES: MTV SHUGA MASHARIKI – TV SERIES “MTV SHUGA MASHARIKI” – ANNETTE SHADEYA, NATASHA LIKIMANI, MKAMZEE MWATELA, ARNOLD MWANJILA, MAKGANO MAMABOLO (WINNER)
Other nominees: “The Wives” – Donald Tombia, Timendu Aghahowa, Chiemeka Osuagwu; “Our Husband” – Xavier Ighorodje; “Addis Fikir” – Besufekade Mulu; “Baba Oh” – Temilola Balogun; “The Party” – Stephen Okonkwo; “Gizat” – Yednekachew Ayne
7. BEST WRITING MOVIE: MY FATHER’S SHADOW – WALE DAVIES (WINNER)
Other nominees: “The Herd” – Lani Aisida; “Blackout” – Ikenna Okpara; “Cards On The Table” – Shirleen Wangari; “Gingerrr” – Xavier Ighorodje; “Suky” – Isaac Ayodeji; “3 Cold Dishes” – Tomi Adesina
8. BEST DIGITAL CONTENT CREATOR: LEAVE TO LIVE – EMMANUEL KANAGA, SOPHIA CHISOM (WINNER)
Other nominees: Elozonam Ogbolu, Genoveva Umeh; Akwaman; Destiny Ogie Osarewinda; Benedict Ehimare Oriaifo; Taaooma; Steve Chuks
9. BEST INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE (CENTRAL AFRICA): MABANDA – KANG QUINTUS (WINNER)
10. BEST INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE (NORTH AFRICA): ARTAL ALHANIN – OUR MEMORIES – MOHAMED AWAD AND MOHAMED ABDULRAHAM ELDOUMA (WINNER)
Other nominees: “The Omnipresent”; “The Delivery”; “The Hidden Voice”; “This Is Portsaid”; “Artal Alhanin: Our Memories”
11. BEST INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE (EAST AFRICA): ADDIS FIKR – LEUL SHOAFERAW (WINNER)
Other nominees: “Inside Job”; “Sayari”; “Addis Fikir”; “My Son”; “Kimote”
12. BEST INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE (SOUTHERN AFRICA): TLHAHO YA MOSADI – NALEDI GALANE, PROMISE RAMOROKA, ERNEST RAMOROKA, AND MODIPADI MOKGOHIOA (WINNER)
Other nominees: “Bet I Love You”; “Sebata: The Beast”; “Ben Made It”; “Terra Of Queens And Kuma 2”; “Tlhaho Ya Mosadi”
13. BEST INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE (WEST AFRICA): LISABI – A LEGEND IS BORN (WINNER)
Other nominees: “The Serpent’s Gift”; “Labake Olododo”; “Olorisha”; “Aljana”
14. BEST EDITING: TO KILL A MONKEY – DANIEL ANYIAM (WINNER)
Other nominees: “Cordelia” – Kazeem Agboola; “My Father’s Shadow” – Omar Guzman Castro; “Landline” – Wanguma Peter Chidebere, Dele Doherty; “3 Cold Dishes” – Asurf Amuwa Oluseyi; “Osamede” – Winston Aig-Ohioma
15. BEST DOCUMENTARY: BEYOND OLYMPIC GLORY (WINNER)
Other nominees: “The Good, The Bad of Afrobeat”; “The People Shall”; “Not Addressing This Anymore”; “BOU”
16. BEST SHORT FILM: HISSAINI (WINNER)
Other nominees: “Fleas”; “Rise”; “Telephone”; “My Body, God’s Temple”
17. BEST SCORE/MUSIC: MY FATHER’S SHADOW – DUVAL TIMOTHY, CJ MIRRA (WINNER)
Other nominees: “3 Cold Dishes” – Nissi Ogulu; “Osamede” – Chubb Okobah; “Gingerrr” – Tolu Obanro; “The Party” – Tolu Obanro; “MTV Shuga Mashariki” – Sofresh; “To Kill A Monkey” – Oscar Heman-Ackah
18. BEST INDIGENOUS M-NET ORIGINAL: INIMBA – SIPHOSETHU TSHAPU, THANDI RAMATHESELE AND YOLANDA NDHLOVU (WINNER)
Other nominees: Kukoyi; Undugu; Out N’ About (Harar); Kampala Creme; The Chocolate Empire; Mgbuka
19. BEST UNSCRIPTED M-NET ORIGINAL: NIGERIAN IDOL S10 – SULAIMAN KASSIM AND ANNEKE DE RIDDER (WINNER)
Other nominees: Ultimate Girls Trip: Africa; Chapa Chapa My Love; Out N About (Harar); Undugu
20. BEST SCRIPTED M-NET ORIGINAL: THE LOW PRIEST – FEMI OGUNSANWO AND THE CAST (WINNER)
ther nominees: Adam to Eve; Mother of the Bride; The Yard; Bobo
21. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: LINDA EJIOFOR — THE HERD (WINNER)
Other nominees: Olamide Kidbaby — Oversabi Aunty; Bisola Aiyeola — Gingerrr; Sola Sobowale — The Covenant; Nadia Dutch — Aljana; Amal Umar — The Herd; Juliebrenda Nyambura — MTV Shuga Mashariki; Funke Akindele — Behind The Scenes
22. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: BUCCI FRANKLIN — TO KILL A MONKEY (WINNER)
Other nominees: Simileoluwa Hassan — The Yard; Lateef Adedimeji — Gingerrr; Gabriel Afolayan — Colours Of Fire; Femi Adebayo — King Of Thieves 2; Lateef Adedimeji — Red Circle; Femi Branch — Owambe Thieves; Uzor Arukwe — Behind The Scenes
BEST UNSCRIPTED SERIES: OUT N’ ABOUT (HARAR) – BRUK YIBRAH (WINNER)
Other nominees: The Real Housewives Of Lagos; Nigerian Idol; Ultimate Girls Trip: Africa; Offair With Gbemi And Toolz
BEST SCRIPTED SERIES: INIMBA – SIPHOSETHU TSHAPU, THANDI RAMATHESELE AND YOLANDA NDHLOVU (WINNER)
Other nominees: To Kill A Monkey; The Yard; The Chocolate Empire; Kash Money
BEST LEAD ACTRESS: LINDA EJIOFOR — THE SERPENT’S GIFT (WINNER)
Other nominees: Bimbo Akintola — To Kill A Monkey; Ifeoma Fafunwa — The Lost Days; Ariyike Owolagba — Something About The Briggs; Sola Sobowale — Her Excellency; Scarlet Gomez — Behind The Scenes; Genoveva Umeh — The Herd; Gloria Anozie-Young — Mother Of The Brides
BEST LEAD ACTOR: UZOR ARUKWE — COLOURS OF FIRE (WINNER)
Other nominees: Mike Ezuruonye — Oversabi Aunty; Lateef Adedimeji — Lisabi: A Legend Is Born; William Benson — To Kill A Monkey; Kanayo O. Kanayo — Grandpa Must Obey; Khumbuza Meyiwa — Bet I Love You; Wale Ojo — 3 Cold Dishes; Femi Branch — Red Circle
BEST DIRECTOR: AKINOLA DAVIES Jr. — MY FATHER’S SHADOW (WINNER)
BEST OVERALL MOVIE: “MY FATHER’S SHADOW” (WINNER)
SPECIAL AWARDS
TRAILBLAZER AWARD: UCHE MONTANA (WINNER)
INDUSTRY MERIT AWARD: SOLA SOBOWALE (WINNER)
INDUSTRY MERIT AWARD: KANAYO O. KANAYO (WINNER)
The full winners list will continue to be updated as the ceremony progresses. What is already clear, however, is that the 12th AMVCA is shaping up to be a deeply competitive night, with multiple films holding genuine claims to the evening’s top prizes.