Merck Foundation Marks World Art Day with Awards to Raise Health and Social Awareness
The Merck Foundation has marked World Art Day 2026 by celebrating its “Art and Fashion with Purpose” community and launching its 2026 Film, Song, Media and Fashion Awards in partnership with Africa’s First Ladies.
The initiative, led by Chief Executive Officer Rasha Kelej, also commemorates six years of the foundation’s Pan-African community, established in 2020 to harness the power of art, fashion and media in addressing key social and health challenges.
Dr Kelej said the platform continues to raise awareness on issues such as infertility stigma, girls’ education, child marriage, female genital mutilation, gender-based violence, women’s empowerment and diseases including diabetes, hypertension and cancer.
She noted that the community now brings together creatives from more than 25 countries, using their talents to drive education, awareness and cultural change across Africa.
As part of its flagship initiatives, the foundation has produced “Our Africa by Merck Foundation”, a pan-African television programme conceptualised, produced and co-hosted by Dr Kelej. The programme features fashion designers, musicians and experts, and has been broadcast on major television stations across the continent, reaching millions of viewers.
The foundation, in partnership with African First Ladies, also runs annual awards under two main themes. The first focuses on social issues such as ending child marriage, female genital mutilation and gender-based violence, as well as promoting girls’ education and women’s empowerment. The second theme promotes healthy lifestyles and raises awareness on prevention and early detection of diabetes and hypertension.
To date, 175 winners from 25 countries have been recognised through the awards, including 102 fashion designers, 53 musicians and 20 filmmakers. These winners form a core part of the “Art and Fashion with Purpose” community and continue to use their platforms to address critical issues in their societies.
Countries represented among the winners include Zambia, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, among others.
In addition, the foundation has produced more than 30 awareness songs in English, French, Portuguese and several African languages, addressing issues such as infertility stigma, women’s empowerment, child marriage and healthy living.
It has also developed nine children’s storybooks and six animated films in five languages, aimed at educating communities and promoting behavioural change at grassroots level.
Entries for the 2026 awards are now open, with organisers inviting young African creatives to submit their work and contribute to raising awareness on social and health issues across the continent.
Entries for the 2026 Awards can be sent to: submit@merck-foundation.com
