Emmanuel Chisenga wins 2026 Absa L’Atelier award

Zambian artiste, Emmanuel Chisenga, has won the prestigious Absa L’Atelier Art Ambassador Award at the 2026 Absa L’Atelier Art Competition, marking a milestone for Zambia in the competition.

The winners were announced at the 2026 Absa L’Atelier Art and Lifestyle Fair held at Waterfall City Park on Saturday, as the competition celebrated its 40th anniversary.

The four winners were Ghanaian artiste Reginald Boateng, Zambian artist Chisenga and Nigerian artiste Segun Owolabi, who received the Ambassador Awards, while South African artiste Treasure Mlima won the Gerard Sekoto Award.

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Established in 1986, Absa L’Atelier Art, in partnership with the South African National Association for the Visual Arts (SANAVA), is a Pan-African platform that supports emerging visual artists.

“This year’s submissions brought an extraordinary depth of perspective, and the calibre of talent in this year’s competition was exceptional. These four artistes pushed their creative boundaries and sparked meaningful conversations amongst the adjudicators,” said Absa Group Senior Specialist in Art and Museum Curator Dr Paul Bayliss.

Chisenga, a Group B winner from Lusaka, secured the Ambassador Award after competing against artists from three other countries in the group. His win marks the first time Zambia has received a nomination and won in the group since the structure was introduced in 2019.

“I didn’t follow a traditional path into the world of art by learning it in school; my curiosity led me to discover a lot about art and today I am an Absa L’Atelier Art Ambassador award winner,” Chisenga said.

Chisenga, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration and is the youngest of four children, was among artistes selected from hundreds of eligible entries submitted across 12 Absa African markets. The entries were assessed by an independent panel.

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