Black Twitter Awards SA is back with more prizes for their Second Annual Timeline Based Show, Today

They are back again to spice up everyone's twitter feed, only this time they’re better branded and now sponsored. 

Just last year Radio personality Spitch Nzawumbi sent a tweet to TV Producer Portia Gumede about how long 2017 had been, proposing the idea of creating a platform to showcase Black South African tweeters to end the year on a positive note.

“I remember saying ‘it’s been a long year, how about we give out some awards’,” Nzawumbi said. The response was a resounding YES and the timeline-based “award show” was created.

Last year proved to be an exciting test run. Though the show was managed between their own personal twitter accounts, the number of retweets, mentions, and followers gained persuaded them to believe this could be a bigger thing.

“Before we knew it, it had gained a lot more traction than we thought,” Nzawumbi said. “After the ceremony, people in marketing reached out and we sat and made it a formal thing.”

Now formalised, the event launched in early November and last week the submission categories were announced. Tweeters were invited to submit their favorite or fellow twitter peeps directly to the Black T Awards handle in the 18 categories. The nominees have been selected and the final vote will be based on popularity via twitter poll.

The event polls will close just before the event starts at 7pm, 22 November where winners will be announced in real time on the timeline in full view of the twitter voting public.

The event has secured an MC, some well-known sponsors, and a variety of prizes for the category winners.

The biggest prize of the night will be awarded to a new category, the “couple of the year,” who will win a 2-night weekend trip to Kone Village Boutique Lodge in Makhado, Limpopo, and a visit to Mapungubwe National Park.

“All the winners for each category will get a nice package from Captain Morgan based on their new flavors delivered on their doorstep,” Nzawumbi said.

With full-rights over the award show, Nzawumbi and Gumede believe this year’s awards are just the tip of the iceberg and plan to reach global audiences in the future.

The founders aim to give up-and-coming talent a stage, express the diversity of blackness, and prove twitters impact on building community across the country, all while sprinkling positivity on the timeline.

“It’s not just celebrity driven...it’s for everyone who is a part of the [Black twitter] community,” Nzawumbi said. “We want every person to feel like they own this.”

Corey Smith is a senior sociology major attending Morehouse College and a part of the SIT Study Abroad Programme with Round Earth Media