AMVCA 2026 voting closes ahead May 9 ceremony

Organisers of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards have announced the close of voting for the 12th edition of the awards, with winners set to be unveiled on May 9.

In a post shared on Sunday, Africa Magic thanked viewers for participating in the voting process across audience categories.

“And that’s a wrap! Voting for #AMVCA12 is officially closed. Thank you for showing up, showing love, and backing your favourites all the way,” the organisers said.

They added, “Now we wait to see who takes home the wins on May 9th.”

The organisers also confirmed that the ceremony will be broadcast live across Africa Magic channels, with the red carpet scheduled for 4:00 p.m. WAT and the main awards show at 7:00 p.m. WAT.

The 2026 edition of the awards features 32 categories, including 18 jury-decided awards, 11 audience-voted categories, and three special honours such as Lifetime Achievement and Trailblazer awards.

Veteran actress Joke Silva is serving as Head Judge for this year’s edition, succeeding Femi Odugbemi.

Organisers also introduced two new categories, Best Indigenous Language Film (North Africa) and Best Indigenous Language Film (Central Africa), as part of efforts to expand the awards’ continental representation.

Nominees across categories include popular names such as Lateef Adedimeji, Gabriel Afolayan, Funke Akindele, Sola Sobowale, and Bisola Aiyeola.

With voting now concluded, attention shifts to the awards night, where winners will be decided across film, television, and digital content categories.