Here are the 2018 Feather Awards nominees!

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Feather Awards has revealed its star-studded lineup of nominees and the host for 2018, none other than Somgaga himself.

The nominees were announced at a ceremony at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on Wednesday, which focused on the event’s decade milestone.

The Feather Awards were initially launched as a tongue in cheek celebration of high-profile personalities that the LGBTI community found inspirational, humorous, scandalous and memorable.

Over the years, however, it has evolved into a platform that raises awareness about the unique issues facing South African – and African – sexual minorities.

“It’s almost unbelievable to me that we’re actually in our tenth year!” exclaimed Feather Awards co-founder Thami Kotlolo. “We started out in a club in Rosebank and have grown into a property that achieves so much more than that little celebration we once held.

“The Feathers are now an event that makes meaningful interventions in the battle for LGBTI rights. In the past ten years, we’ve added powerful community facing initiatives to the Feathers, such as the LGBTI Dialogues nationwide, we’ve facilitated in the training of law enforcement agents, and supported several Pride events across the country.”

That said, the annual ceremony continues to be irreverent and cheeky, and remains unapologetic in its embrace of both the utterly frivolous and the decidedly serious.

The award’s categories are certainly a reflection of this duality – from “Drama Queen of The Year”, a cheeky celebration of personalities who stir scandal and create all kinds of drama, to the “Media Award”, a heartfelt tribute to media outlets or programmes that give a voice to the LGBTI community. The category of best Media will be decided by the public, who can vote for their favourite on Mambaonline.com here.

The Feathers 10th anniversary also ushers in a new category; the Social Media Award, which will go to an individual whose online presence is hard to ignore.

Additionally, the Feather of the Year category will now be known as the Simon Nkoli Award, in loving recognition of the late pioneering South African anti apartheid and LGBTI rights activist.

Where the nominees are concerned, the Feathers 2018 list reads like a gathering of Mzansi’s most talented, most controversial, most hilarious and of course, where the activism is concerned, most committed.

Drama Queen of the Year, for example, has gathered Robbie Malinga Jnr, AKA and the ‘Matlapa’ (the bewitched rocks he claimed to have found hidden in his cupboard), and author Jackie Phamotse whose book Bare landed her in a sticky legal situation.

The Hunk of the Year category is graced by actors Bohang Moeko, Thabang Molaba and researcher and advocate Dominic Khumalo, while the Socialite of the Year section is populated by party animals Dr Smile, the Modiselle sisters and Yaya Mavundla.

The Simon Nkoli Award will be received by Phumi Mthethwa, an LGBTI activist who has dedicated her life to the fight against injustice. She’s been part of the Treatment Action Campaign, was co-Secretary General of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) and founded the Masithandande Collective, an organization geared at mobilising against hate crimes aimed at sexual minorities.

It was also revealed that Somizi – who is himself a Media award nominee for his hit reality show Living the Dream with Somizi, will be the host for this year’s ceremony. “I’m really honoured, I’m really excited,” he said, adding with a laugh, “and I deserve it!”

The winners will be announced on the 15th of November at the Feather Awards 2018, which is supported by Gauteng Tourism Authority, Gauteng Province and the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller.

FEATHER AWARDS 2018 – NOMINEES

BEST-STYLED FEMALE
1. BONANG MATHEBA
2. AYANDA THABETHE
3. MANTHE RIBANE

BEST-STYLED MALE
1. RIKY RICK
2. KAT SINIVASAN
3. ZULU DASH

MEDIA AWARD
The category of Best Media will be decided by the public, who can vote for their favourite on Mambaonline.com here.
1. THRILLS WITH DR T
2. GAY SA RADIO
3. LIVING THE DREAM WITH SOMIZI
4. FERGUSON FILMS
5. TouchHD Online
6. ENCA
7. REAL GOBOZA
8. DAILY & SUNDAY SUN
9. FRESH BREAKFAST SHOW – METRO
10. MAIL & GUARDIAN

HOT CHICK OF THE YEAR
1. MICHELLE MOSALAKAE
2. BONTLE MODISELLE
3. MIHLALI NDAMASE

HUNK OF THE YEAR
1. BOHANG MOEKO
2. THABANG MOLABA
3. ADVOCATE DOMINIC KHUMALO

CUTEST COUPLE OF THE YEAR
1. MMABATHO MONTSHO & MBUYISENI NDLOZI
2. SHANE EAGLES & NICOLE SWARTZ
3. STEVE & LUCY LETSIKE

DIVA EXTRAORDINAIRE
1. KHUSELA DIKO
2. CONNIE FERGUSON
3. THEMBSIE MATU

FAG-HAG OF THE YEAR
1. PHILA MADLINGOZI
2. RAMI CHUENE
3. BUSISWA

SOCIALITE OF THE YEAR
1. DR SMILE
2. THE MODISELLE SISTERS
3. YAYA MAVUNDLA

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
1. FAKA
2. SJAVA
3. NAKHANE TOURE

SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR
1. HLENGIWE BUTHELEZI
2. PHUTHI LEKOLOANE
3. SUNETTE VILJOEN

ROLE MODEL OF THE YEAR
1. SIYA KHUMALO
2. FIND NEW WORDS
3. NTSUPE MOHAPI

DRAMA QUEEN OF THE YEAR
1. ROBBIE MALINGA JNR
2. AKA & MATLAPA
3. JACKIE PHAMOTSE

SIMON NKOLI AWARD
PHUMI MTHETHWA