With stiff competition as a result of the weekly workshops presented by the judges this year following auditions in each area, contestants had ample time to polish their acts and bring their best to the fore at the final.
This forced the judges to choose a top 10, as opposed to the stipulated top 8 from amongst the 16 finalists.
The prize money of R30 000, divided amongst three categories, namely open (featuring drama, instrumental and rap), dance and vocal, was once again sponsored by PetroSA.
"We have gladly supported and followed this event with much interest for most of its existence and we have seen its ongoing growth. It is our belief that this is our contribution of turning the National Youth Day theme, 'Youth Moving South Africa Forward', into a tangible reality," said Communications Specialist, Nafeesah Abrahams at the event.
She commented on the excellence of talent shown in Mossel Bay over the five years of the competition's existence and said that she believes it is merely the 'tip of the iceberg'.
The open category was won by rap trio Beat Killaz, also known as Franklin Kiewiets, Waidon Bruintjies and Sergio van der Vindt. Their fourth member, Edgar Frisley, who didn't compete with the group this year, provided these 'third time rounders' with much-needed moral support.
In 2012, the group only reached the semi-finals. Their next try in 2013 not only secured them a spot in the finals, but landed them in the top 10.
Proving that perseverance pays off, 2014 made them reap their reward of R10 000 in prize money.
"Most of all, we wanted to prove that we can," Van der Vindt said upon winning.
Hip hop group Snipers was undoubtedly the 'people's choice', as the audience literally roared with cheer when they were announced dance category winners. Comprising of 'Best of the Rest' winners 2013, brothers Luciano Arendse and Dylan January teamed up with former The End dancers, Romeo Wagner and Bradley Esau; they pulled out all the stops to entertain the raving audience and won.
In the vocal category, the strength of the contestants made it particularly difficult to choose an overall winner.
The top spot is therefore shared by the golden voiced Alexander Hendricks and the Grade 12 learner from Great Brak who simply oozes stage personality, Mordegai Erasmus.
"I can still hardly believe it," an overwhelmed Erasmus told the Mossel Bay Advertiser after the event.
This year, Director of Corporate Services (Mossel Bay Municipality) Edward Jantjies pulled an unexpected trump card as the winners were announced. As opposed to previous years, the runners-up in each category also received a motivation prize of R2000.
Solo rapper Linkin, who impressed with his strong delivery and good lyrics, scored in the open category, with hip hop soloist Danielle Engelbrecht earning her worth in the dance category, and the fabulous vocal duo Farial Williams and Thulani Godfrey also being rewarded for their effort.
It has been made known that a special showcase featuring the top talent in this year's competition will probably be staged at the Mossel Bay Sports Festival in September this year.
PHOTO GALLERY
With the talent showcased tihs year, credit was truly given where it was due when the runners-up in each category also each received a motvation prize of R2000: Danielle Engelbrecht (dance category), Linkin (open category), Thulani Godfrey and Farial Williams (vocal category). Photo: Howard Duthie
ARTICLE: CORNELLE CARSTENS, MOSSEL BAY ADVERTISER JOURNALIST
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