The Golden Arc Honors trophy — two golden figures holding a film camera aloft on a black marble base

Pan-African Creative Excellence · Headquartered in Accra, Ghana

Celebrating African creative excellence.

One Country. Five Films.
One Pan-African Stage.

Country registration Explore Celebration Week

2027–2028 awards cycle · biennial

Africa is the identity

Fifty-four nations, many cultures, one continental stage. Every participating country brings five official films chosen at home.

Explore the countries

Creative excellence is the purpose

A comprehensive awards framework across film, fashion, music, the arts and distinguished cultural contribution.

See the categories

III

The celebration is a full experience

Seven days of screenings, fashion, music, industry and youth programmes, building to the Grand Award Night.

Discover the week

Pillar I · Africa is the identity

Every nation earns its place at home first.

Each participating country forms a National Selection Committee, runs a national call for entries and selects its five strongest eligible films. Golden Arc Honors then judges them independently on one continental stage.

Nations: 54
Films per country: 5
Submission fee: 0

The country does not buy a place among the five — each film must earn its position. Participating countries are listed only once formally confirmed.

The 54 nations How participation works

1
Country registration
A country registers and its National Selection Committee is approved.
2
National call for entries
Filmmakers submit to their own country's national process.
3
National judging
Eligibility screening and national judging against published criteria.
4
Five official films
The committee selects exactly five films and submits them online.
5
Continental review & jury
Independent eligibility review, then the continental jury.
6
Nominees & Award Night
Official nominees, final judging and the Grand Award Night.

Pillar II · Creative excellence is the purpose

An awards framework as wide as the continent's talent.

18 proposed core categories for the 2027–2028 cycle, and a wider proposed framework of 134 categories across film, television, fashion, music, the arts and honorary recognition.

All categories

An African director behind the camera on a night film set

The Golden Arc Honors Film Project

Recognition should open doors.

Rather than limiting recognition to a trophy, selected major-category winners are offered the opportunity to develop and produce an original film under a two-year production agreement — premiering at the next ceremony.