17th Music Awards of Nagaland postponed to December  17

Government urged to allocate a fixed annual budget for the music awards

DIMAPUR — The 17th edition of Music Awards of Nagaland (MAN) 2025, which was originally slated for Nov.  29,  2025 has been pushed to Dec. 17 at Town Hall in Dimapur. MAN is jointly organised by the Native Trax Society and Musik‑A.

The MAN President, Imli Lee, announced this at a press conference held at Nagaland Coffee in Dimapur on Wednesday noting that most artistes are busy with rehearsals and performances for the upcoming Hornbill Festival. He said the ceremony will be held only after the festival for the convenience of the artistes.

Lee acknowledged the yearly financial strain, saying that they are grateful for support from both TaFMA and individual sponsors. He maintained that MAN is the only award in India and perhaps the world that provides cash prize to its winners in the music world.

Also read: Nagaland: Line-up for Toyota Hornbill Music Festival 2025 announced

Alobo Naga, Director of Musik‑A, shared that the 17th MAN drew an overwhelming response with over 200 nominee entries. He also revealed a brand‑new “Viewer’s Choice” award which is to be decided by online voting.

The voting was originally set to close on Nov. 27, but following the rescheduling of the event, it will now stay open until No.v 30, 2025 at www.musicawardsofnagaland.in.

He highlighted that MAN -- launched by the Native Trax Society and joined by Musik‑A from the 16th edition -- is crucial for motivating local musicians. He said that some may underestimate the award, yet MAN remains the only and largest music accolade in Nagaland, celebrating the region’s top talents.

Naga emphasised that the recognition isn’t just about winning, but it is also about drawing audiences to the artistes’ work.

While apologising for any inconvenience caused by the date change, he expressed confidence that the postponement will allow broader participation and enable more artistes to take part.

Naga noted that, beyond the funding hurdle, uniting all musicians is another major challenge.

“Our goal is to turn this into the elite, premium award, we’re working toward it and are almost there,” he said. Reflecting on the event’s growth, he admitted that sourcing funds remains an on-going struggle and that this year they have been scrambling, a situation they expect to continue.

‘Organising the event is financially challenging, especially the production side. We therefore urge the government to allocate a fixed annual budget rather than relying on yearly assistance, as the Music Awards have been running for several years and we aim to expand it each year’ he appealed.

If successful, he said they plan to open the award to the wider North‑East region and eventually scale it further.