Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) Nyoloha Scholarship South Africa 2026

ABOUT THE BURSARY PROVIDER – ARTS & CULTURE TRUST (ACT)

The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) opened its doors in 1994, when it was known as the Arts and Culture Trust of the President. 28 years later, ACT serves the arts and culture sector in all 9 provinces of South Africa, as a registered non-profit organisation and is completely independent of government.

The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) Nyoloha Scholarship Programme (NSP) was formed as a partnership between ACT and Nedbank Arts Affinity, with the goal of funding higher education for young South African performers and visual artists.

ABOUT THE ACT NYOLOHA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED

The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT), partnered with Nedbank Arts Affinity, supported by Nedbank, and MTN Foundation South Africa, is inviting students to apply for the Nyoloha Scholarship programme (NSP), for the 2026 academic year.

Scholarships will be awarded for undergraduate studies within the following fields:

Performing Arts (Singing, Dance and Acting)
Digital/ Visual Arts

MORE ABOUT THE ACT NYOLOHA SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME

The full scholarship will provide cover of up to R300 000, for studies at a tertiary or an accredited South African arts institution.

Selected applicants will be contacted by the end of May 2025 and unsuccessful applicants will be notified accordingly.

The ACT Nyoloha Scholarship Programme will consist of the following:

Successful candidates will participate in bi-weekly workshops from 7 June to 16 August 2025.
Scholarships finals week will take place in Johannesburg from 28 September to 5 October 2025.
ACT will provide cover for the following: meals, travel and accommodation costs during the finals week.
The final programme exhibition event and gala night will take place on 2 and 4
Student financial aid

October 2025 respectively. Scholarship winners will be announced at the Gala Night.
Scholarships will be awarded for studies towards Digital/ Performing/ Visual Arts studies at a South African tertiary or ACT accredited institution.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ACT NYOLOHA SCHOLARSHIP

Applicants must satisfy the following minimum entry criteria before applying (please note that failure to satisfy all the requirements will lead to your application not being considered):

You must be a South African citizen
You must be between the ages of 17 and 25 years old
You must be currently in Matric OR must have completed Matric with a university exemption
You must intend on pursuing an undergraduate qualification within the performing or visual arts field
You must be starting your 1st year of study in 2026
You must be in need of financial assistance to pursue your studies
You must be a passionate, talented, and dedicated singer, dancer, actor, visual or digital artist
You must be willing and able to commit to the 6-month duration of the programme
You must intend on studying (but not currently registered) at an ACT approved accredited institution in South Africa
You must NOT be considered a professional artist (you must NOT have specialized training/ and or be employed full time in your artistic discipline)
You must NOT have any existing tertiary qualification in an arts/ creative discipline from a tertiary/ accredited institution in South Africa
You must NOT be a 2024 ACT Nyoloha Scholarship Programme participant or finalist

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE ACT NYOLOHA SCHOLARSHIP

Applications must be submitted online at: ACT Nyoloha Scholarship Application 2026

Applicants should read the ACT Nyoloha Scholarship Guidelines (.pdf) before applying.
Submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation with the online application (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):

ID Document (certified copy of the front and back)
Previous semester/ last academic results
Clear photograph of yourself (head and shoulders only)
Tertiary Acceptance Letter
Signed and completed Consent Form (.pdf) (if you are under 18 years old, your parent or legal guardian must sign this form)
Performing Arts (Singing, Dance and Acting) students: 2 minute video, following these guidelines:
- Singing: prepare a song of your choice, in any genre, that best showcases your vocal range, technique and overall talent. You may use a backtrack or instruments as back-up.
- Dance: prepare a dance/ movement piece of your choice, which best showcases your range and talent.
- Theatre/ acting: prepare a monologue, from Addendum 2, which best showcases your acting range and talent. Do NOT use your own material. Film in a room with good lighting and a plain background. Ensure to use landscape/horizontal mode. Avoid places with background noise and do not do your audition in the bathroom or any place where the sound will echo. No parents/legal guardian or teachers are allowed participation in the audition video. Use minimal props for your audition video. You may use a table and chair, and musical instruments (for singing recordings) as part of your props.
Digital/ Visual Arts students: 4 x Portfolio pictures, following these guidelines:
- 4 different and original pieces of work: 1x portrait, 1x landscape, 2x original artworks.
- The submission must also include: A short bio of between 70 and 100 words. A short artist statement of between 70 and 100 words, detailing reason of creation of artworks in the format and style.

CLOSING DATE FOR THE ACT NYOLOHA SCHOLARSHIP

30 March 2025.
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)

CONTACT THE SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDER

For any queries related to this scholarship programme, please contact the Arts & Culture Trust directly:
Tel: 010 023 0899
Email: info@act.org.za
Please do NOT contact the Arts & Culture Trust if this bursary has already closed.