2025 NIFCA SPECIAL AND GENERAL AWARDS

January 28, 2026 10

THE PRIME MINISTER’S SCHOLARSHIP

DANCE – Shalom Forrester, Lumination Shift – Exposed Mysteries

VISUAL ARTS – Evan Macdonald – Margaret & Ralphie

THE FOUNDER’S TROPHY

Christ Church Foundation School Steel Orchestra – Big People Party

THE PRIME MINISTER’S AWARD FOR THE BEST ORIGINAL NIFCA ENTRY

DANCE Dimension Elite – Target

LITERARY Roseann Pile – Ballast (PROSE)

THE CYNTHIA WILSON NIFCA PRODUCER’S PRIZE

DANCE – Pearl Ann Bartlett, Pearls Dance Academy

SYMBOLS OF EXCELLENCE – ICON AWARDS

MUSIC The James Millington Award of Excellence – CH. CH. Foundation School Steel Orchestra, Big People Party

LITERARY The Kamau Brathwaite Award of Excellence for Poetry –Ramario Phillips, Wha Sweat Yuh So?

VISUAL ARTS The Marjorie Blackman Award of Excellence –Ryan Alleyne, A Piece of the Rock

NIFCA AWARD FOR ARTISTS WITH DISABILITIES

MIXED DISCIPLINE Gem-in-I project, Alchemy

THEATRE Emmanuel Charles, Getting Accepted

VISUAL ARTS Dominick Pilgrim, Beauty by Nature

UNICEF Prize (for works that draw attention to and/or offers alternatives to violence impacting Youth)

DANCE Wesley Hall Junior School, An Island’s Beauty at Risk

MIXED DISCIPLINE Odane Bartley, Suicide

NIFCA PRIZE FOR INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE

DANCE Haynesville Youth Club, Maritime Legacy: The Crossing & Cultural Continuity

MUSIC Haynesville Youth Club, Sensational

FILM Egan Layne, Keepers of the Flame (Documentary)

CULINARY Caroline Mars-Yearwood, Tribute to the first Female Admiral of the BLA

LITERARY Roseanne Pile, Ballast (PROSE)

VISUAL ARTS Rhodine Headley, Mudda Sally

THE NCF BUSINESS ENTREPRENEUR PRIZE

DANCE Demiko Newton of Dimension Elite, Target

CULINARY Juan Wilson, Pineapple Coconut Spiced Rum Iced Tea

VISUAL ARTS Maurice Forde, Regal Beauty (painting)

SPECIAL ICON SCHOLARSHIPS

DANCE The Richild Springer Scholarship – Shalom Forrester of Lumination Shift, Exposed Mysteries

SCHOLARSHIPS TO THE BARBADOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

DANCE Emari Browne

DANCE Hailey Brathwaite

DANCE Zahra Sobers

DANCE Megan Alleyne

MUSIC Khalijah Kellman, Graydon Sealy Secondary School

MUSIC Tarique Griffith

VISUAL ARTS Amaris Nicholls, Queens College

VISUAL ARTS Nola Maughn, Queens College

DANCE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR JUNIORS

Penyho Dance Centre – Wesley Hall Junior School – Jayla Brewster & Aniyah Ifill

Pazazz Dance Studio – Sharon Primary School – Leilani Webb & Kaliyah Boyce-Gibbons

THE NIFCA TEACHER’S PRIZE

DANCE Wesley Hall Junior School –Ms. Richilde Hunte, Ms. Deanna Rouse, Mr. Kimar Taylor, Ms. Andrea Holder

CULINARY Luther Thorne Memorial – Ms. Kentura Banfield

GENERAL & INCENTIVE AWARDS

DANCE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A PRIMARY SCHOOL – Wesley Hall Junior School – A Fight for Freedom

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN INDIVIDUAL – Kendra Leacock – Gratitude

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A COMMUNITY GROUP – Haynesville Youth Club, Maritime Legacy:…

BEST NEWCOMER TO NIFCA DANCE – Lumination Shift, Exposed Mysteries

BEST PRESENTATION BY A GROUP – Pearls Dance Academy, Exodus

THE TYRONE TROTMAN AWARD

For an outstanding Afro-Caribbean dance performance by a community group – Dancin’ Africa, Still Bout Hey, Hear

THE VIRGINIA SEELEY AWARD

for Outstanding Artistic Direction – Pearl Ann Bartlett/ Pearls Dance Academy, Exodus

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT COSTUME:

Barbados Dance Collective, Mi- Cro-Sco-Pic

Bajans in Movement, Fracture

Dimension Elite, Target

Lumination Shift, Exposed Mysteries

Wesley Hall Junior School, An Island’s Beauty at Risk

Pearls Dance Academy, Exodus

Sharon Primary School, Caribbean Pulse

MDC Kidz, It’s Our Turn

Powerhouse Academy of the Arts, Birds of the Isle

Arete’ Dance Ensemble, Developpe’

Kemal Marshall, Pride in Bloom

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR ARTISTIC DIRECTION:

Director – Carolyn Brathwaite for Fracture performed by Bajans in Movement

Director – Josiah Haynes for Pride in Bloom performed by Kemal Marshall

Director – Richilde Hunte for An Island’s Beauty At Risk performed by Wesley Hall Junior School

Director – Justin Poleon for Birds of a Feather: A Tribute to Rio performed by Bim Cheer Federation

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT LIGHTING:

Pearls Dance Academy – Exodus

Bajans in Movement – Fracture

M.Novea – Las Reinas of Power

Wesley Hall Junior School – An Island’s Beauty At Risk

Arete Dance Ensemble – Developpe’

Bim Cheer Federation – Birds of a Feather: A Tribute to Rio

Dimension Elite – Target

Joy Productions – Unboxed

THEATRE ARTS

MOST PROMISING PRESENTATION – DRAMA Nakita Thomas/Northern Lights Drama Group, Wrong & Strong

MOST PROMISING PRESENTATION – SPEECH Mark Yearwood, Emancipation

MOST PROMISING PERFORMANCE – PRIMARY SCHOOL Reynold Weekes Primary Schoo, Let me Retire

MOST PROMISING PERFORMANCE–SECONDARY SCHOOL Graydon Sealy Secondary, It Begins with You

MOST PROMISING PERFORMANCE BY AN INDIVIDUAL Samantha Julien, 1260

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER TO NIFCA Lafonn Miller, Crime in Bim

NIFCA THEATRE ACCESS AWARD Akil Ifill & Tiffani Williams, Stray Shards

NIFCA COACHING FOR DEVELOPMENT AWARD Advent Youth, Biblical Solution of Crime

THE ALFRED PRAGNELL CHALLENGE SHIELD FOR ACTING Nakita Thomas/Northern Lights Drama Group, Wrong & Strong

THE RICKY BABU PARRIS CHALLENGE SHIELD Atiba Sealy-Thompson, Blackbird

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR WRITING:

Jamal Weekes for Stray Shards, performed by Akil Ifill and Tiffani Williams

Alicia Edwards for Wrong & Strong, performed by Nakita Thomas, Northern Lights Drama Group

CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT FOR ARTISTIC DIRECTION:

Director- Varia Williams for Stray Shards, performed by Akil Ifill and Tiffani Williams

MUSIC

BEST NEWCOMER TO NIFCA MUSIC – Damario Foster, Graydon Sealy Secondary School, Voices of Change

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SECONDARY SCHOOL – CH CH Foundation School Steel Orchestra, Big People Party

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A PRIMARY SCHOOL – St. Cyprian’s Boys’ Band, St. Cyprians in the Community

BEST ARRANGEMENT – CH CH Foundation School Steel Orchestra, ‘High Mas’arranged by Lowrey Worrell

BEST INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE – CH CH Foundation School Steel Orchestra, Big People Party

BEST LARGE ENSEMBLE – CH CH Foundation School Steel Orchestra, Big People Party & High Mas’

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN INDIVIDUAL – Skyy Dowridge, Runaway

MOST PROMISING PERFORMANCE BY A COMMUNITY GROUP – Haynesville Youth Club, Sensational

BEST SMALL ENSEMBLE – Haynesville Youth Club, Sensational

BEST ORIGINAL PIECE– Stay Strong’, Written & Performed by ZZ Cumberbatch

BEST PRESENTATION – Graydon Sealy School Choir, De Struggle, uh Bajan Folk Medley

MOST ENTERTAINING PERFORMANCE – St. Cyprian’s Boys’ Primary School Choir, On de Road with Edwin

BEST SPOUGE PERFORMANCE – Kymani Devonish, Vehicle

THE JACKIE OPEL AWARD- Stay Strong, Written & Performed by ZZ Cumberbatch –

THE EMILE STRAKER AWARD – West Terrace Primary School Choir, Big Belly Ben