THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE FLAME AWARDS ARE TO:

1. Reward Excellence in the performance of Christian artistes
2. Encourage artistic excellence in effective Christian Ministry
3. Stimulate the desire to be creative
4. Encourage education and skill improvement of artiste development
5. Reward winners tangibly with a symbol of excellence-(Flame Award)
6. Show appreciation to artistes dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the Christian arts (music, dance, mime and drama etc.)

PERIOD OF ASSESSMENT: 

November 15, 2018 – November 15, 2019

CRITERIA

When considering an artiste of the year award, excellence must be the watchword in all deliberations. The Flame Awards scheme should be viewed as meritorious and never seen to encourage mediocracy or favouritism.

In contrast, artistes who portray differing degrees of creativity must be applauded. Special attention should be paid to the basic mechanics of the arts.

Fundamentals such as presentation, rendition (diction, etc), ministry, skill, deportment and general professionalism are words that must be dominant in any discussion regarding any assessment of the Award scheme.

The main categories in which Artistes will be assessed are:

IMPACT

The artist or group deemed to have had the most impact by way of performance either on stage and/or recording. “One- off” excellent performance should not be used solely to determine instances of impact.

A minimum of three (3) live performances during a calendar year at this time would be enough to qualify for consideration.
Impressive impactful appearances at the National level are to be considered as scoring highly in this system.

LIVE PERFORMANCES

This is the best determining factor when considering nominations. Artistes must not only be heard but seen. The impact of artistes must be valued in the context of “ministry”. How does he/she use the stage in ministry to communicate his/her message? Effective presentation, rendition, deportment etc must score very highly therefore.

In the case of dance and drama groups, skill, movement and depth of message communicated must be taken into consideration. Live performances are successful when the message is effectively communicated to a receiving audience .

VENUE AND OCCASION

Any public performance of a national nature (includes a widely publicised event and not just localised “church” events). Events at popular venues such as the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium, National Stadium, The Auditorium, FCH, Open-air events held in Independence Square, GPO Heroes Square etc and certain major events held in churches for the general public as opposed to events for localised audiences are recognised.

RECORDED AND/OR TELEVISION PERFORMANCE

Recorded (radio) or live performances (TV) are considered as very impactful on the national level. However, even though electronic recordings on radio or television cannot be ignored, they should not be used as the only measurement for excellence. Performances that communicate with live audiences should always be used as true indicators of excellence.

LIST OF DO’S AND DON’TS

1. Do  not assess artistes according to perceived “anointing.” Deal with
   tangible components such as skill, creativity, stage craft etc.

   NOTE: The FLAME Awards scheme is merely to assess artistic skill and competence. We are not expected to play “God”.

2. Do not assess artistes according to feelings and emotions only.

NOTE: As ministry is both natural and spiritual, assess the natural skill of artiste. Avoid as much as possible the use of Emotion or sentiment. For example, “because X won last year, it does not mean that X cannot win this year. Also it must be noted that even though artist X, traditionally, may be better than artiste Y, artiste Y may have excelled or had a greater impact in a given year than artiste X. It is in cases like these that fair judgment must prevail. As long as artiste Y has acquired the basic skill of excellence, they should have the extra edge.