Investec Cape Town Art Fair continues to affirm its status as a critical meeting point for contemporary art from Africa and its global diaspora as its 13th edition unfolds in Cape Town from 19–22 February 2026. As the fair moves through its second day, attention has turned to its most ambitious prize programme to date—marking a significant expansion in how the fair recognises artistic excellence, innovation, and long-term impact within the global contemporary art ecosystem.
Recognised as the largest and leading international art fair on the African continent, Investec Cape Town Art Fair brings together a diverse group of celebrated exhibitors, including prominent galleries from across the world, to present cutting-edge contemporary art. Held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), the 13th edition takes place from 20–22 February 2026 and is guided by the curatorial concept Listen—conceived as both a curatorial proposition and a sensorial framework that encourages attentiveness, dialogue, and resonance across artistic practices.
This year’s edition features 126 exhibitors from 34 global cities, presenting works by over 490 artists, including 42 exhibitors making their debut at the fair, and welcoming an estimated 30,000 visitors and 10,000 VIPs. Renowned for its intimate yet globally significant scale, the fair fosters discovery, innovation, and cross-cultural exchange at the intersection of the fast-growing African art market and the international art world. Within this context, the 2026 prize programme—comprising five major awards, including two newly introduced honours—stands as a central pillar of the fair’s commitment to listening, care, and sustained artistic development, celebrating artists whose practices are shaping contemporary art today and into the future.
Tomorrows/Today Prize 2026 – Chidirim Nwaubani
Presented by Doyle Wham | Booth TT6, Tomorrows/Today
The Tomorrows/Today Prize 2026 was awarded to Nigerian-British artist Chidirim Nwaubani, whose practice carefully intertwines art, technology, and cultural reclamation. Exhibiting with Doyle Wham, Nwaubani presented a body of work that stood out for its conceptual precision and its engagement with speculative futures grounded in personal and collective histories.
Supported by Fiera Milano Exhibitions Africa, the Tomorrows/Today Prize is a cash award recognising the most compelling presentation within the fair’s Tomorrows/Today curated section. This year’s section responded to the fair’s overarching curatorial theme, Listen, and was titled If you listen carefully, the air is full of laughter, encouraging artists to consider attentiveness, memory, and resonance as creative strategies.
The winner was selected by an international jury led by curator Mariella Franzoni, alongside Liese van der Watt, Ugoma Ebilah, and Sean O’Toole. Together, the jury recognised Nwaubani’s ability to merge digital language with cultural inquiry, positioning his work as a compelling reflection on how technology can be reclaimed as a site of identity and future-making.
RDC Art Collection Award 2026 – Mellaney Roberts
Presented by Berman Contemporary | Booth S8, SOLO
Artist Mellaney Roberts was awarded the RDC Art Collection Award 2026 for a practice deeply rooted in land, memory, and collective identity. Presented by Berman Contemporary, Roberts’ work foregrounds narratives shaped by her upbringing in Bobbejaanskloof, engaging personal history as a lens through which broader social and cultural questions emerge.
In accepting the award, Roberts described it as a collective achievement, emphasising that the recognition extends beyond herself to the community that shaped her. She highlighted the importance of returning the value of this moment to her community, acknowledging the shared labour involved in excavating memories, identity, and the complex meanings attached to land.
The RDC Art Collection Award is presented to an artist whose practice aligns with the Group’s values and long-term vision. Beyond recognition, the prize offers the recipient an opportunity to exhibit within one of RDC’s landmark buildings, situating contemporary art within architectural and public contexts and reinforcing the relationship between artistic practice, place, and lived experience.
Investec Emerging Artist Award 2026 – Warren Maroon
Presented by Everard Read | Booth A7, Main
The Investec Emerging Artist Award 2026 was presented to Warren Maroon, recognising a sculptural practice that transforms the detritus of everyday life into powerful visual narratives. Exhibiting with Everard Read, Maroon’s work draws from his upbringing in the Cape Flats, using found and discarded materials to articulate stories of resilience, survival, and transformation.
His sculptures operate as material records of lived experience, where objects commonly overlooked are reconfigured into forms that speak to beauty, endurance, and social reality. Through this process, Maroon challenges traditional hierarchies of value, foregrounding the poetic and political potential of the ordinary.
Now in its second year, the Investec Emerging Artist Award celebrates South African artists producing world-class work who are not affiliated with institutions, museums, or collections. By recognising Maroon’s practice, the award underscores the fair’s commitment to supporting independent voices and affirming sculpture as a vital medium within contemporary art discourse.
Materiality Prize in Partnership with Homo Faber – Amy Rusch
Presented by Suburbia Contemporary | Booth B7, Main
The Materiality Prize, introduced for the first time at the 2026 edition, was awarded to Amy Rusch for her innovative engagement with material processes and contemporary artisanship. Exhibiting with Suburbia Contemporary, Rusch’s work was recognised for its critical interrogation of materiality, craft, and environmental discourse.
Maria Ribas, Gallery Manager at Suburbia Contemporary, expressed pride in representing Rusch, noting that the artist’s practice engages deeply with ecological concerns and reimagined techniques. Her work expands the language of craft within contemporary art, positioning material experimentation as both conceptual inquiry and ethical reflection.
Presented in partnership with Homo Faber, the prize includes an invitation to participate in the Homo Faber Fellowship Masterclass in Venice. Delivered by the Michelangelo Foundation, the eight-month, fully funded programme supports intergenerational knowledge exchange between master artisans and emerging talents, while equipping participants with business, design, and hands-on practical skills.
ORMS International Photography Prize 2026 – Sibusiso Bheka
Presented by AFRONOVA | Booth A8, Main
The inaugural ORMS International Photography Prize was awarded to Sibusiso Bheka, marking a significant milestone for photography at the fair. Exhibiting with AFRONOVA, Bheka’s work was recognised for its ability to position photography as a critical and conceptual medium within today’s image-saturated world.
Rather than treating the photographic image as simple documentation, Bheka’s practice interrogates how images circulate, signify, and shape perception. Reflecting on the award, he described the win as representing hope and patience—an acknowledgment of sustained commitment to the medium and its evolving possibilities.
Open to exhibiting photographers from anywhere in the world, the prize includes a R20,000 cash award and a Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 printer, supporting the production of archival-quality prints up to A2. Through this initiative, ORMS continues to support photographers at every stage of their careers while strengthening photography’s place within the contemporary art landscape.
With its most extensive prize programme to date, Investec Cape Town Art Fair 2026 demonstrates how awards can function as meaningful tools for artistic development rather than symbolic recognition alone. By pairing artists with galleries, institutions, and international platforms, the fair ensures that each prize creates pathways for sustained visibility, professional growth, and deeper engagement beyond the exhibition floor.
Collectively, the 2026 prize winners reflect an art landscape shaped by attentiveness—listening to materials, communities, histories, and emerging futures. From digital experimentation and sculptural reclamation to photography and contemporary craft, the awards reaffirm the fair’s role as a vital platform for recognising artists who are not only responding to the present moment but actively shaping the future of global contemporary art.
