Entries for Performing Arts Competitions Open on October 21

The Jamaica Cultural Development Commission (JCDC) will begin accepting entries for the 2026 Festival of the Performing Arts competitions on October 21.

Submissions can be made by individuals, schools, community groups, and studio groups in the areas of dance, drama, music, speech, and traditional folk forms.

The announcement was made by Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, at the presentation ceremony for the 2025 Marcus Garvey Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts, at the Little Theatre in Kingston, on Wednesday (October 15).

She encouraged interested entrants to next year’s competitions to break the record set in 2025 of more than 10,000 entries with over 30,000 performers participating.

“Let’s make it 15,000 entries next year. We should be able to do that. Let’s show the world that Jamaica’s excellence doesn’t only run fast but it performs, it sings, it acts, it dances, and it creates.

You can start sending in your entries next week Tuesday, October 21,” she said.

“I’m calling on every school, every church, every community group, every performer to put in your entry. Who knows, maybe next year, you will be standing right here, receiving a Marcus Garvey Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts,” the Minister added.

Each year, the JCDC hosts the Festival of the Performing Arts competitions designed to discover, nurture, and display the creative abilities of Jamaicans.

Entry forms, rules and other competition details will be available on the JCDC’s website at www.jcdc.gov.jm.