Sunshine Awards names honourees for 38th ceremony in Sint Maarten
The awards return to the Caribbean on October 17 at the Aleeze Convention Center under the theme "Black Inventions".
NEW YORK, United States. The 38th annual Sunshine Awards will be held on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at the Aleeze Convention Center in Sint Maarten, marking a return to the Caribbean for the awards.
Trinidadian Gil Figaro, founder and president of the Teaneck, New Jersey-based organisation, said the event would bring together artists, cultural icons, entertainers and community leaders from across the Caribbean and beyond.
"The evening will be held under the theme 'Black Inventions,' paying tribute to the extraordinary creativity, ingenuity, innovation, and contributions of Black people throughout history and around the world," he said.
Founded in 1989, the awards recognise individuals and organisations whose contributions have enriched Caribbean culture.
This year's honourees
The honourees are Clara Reyes of St Maarten; Yubi Kirindongo of Curaçao; Bankie Banx of Anguilla; Bregje Boetekees of Curaçao; the late Ruby Bute of Aruba; Christophe Henocq of France; Danielle Chance of St Maarten; Nakishma Rogers of Anguilla; Isidore York, the Mighty Dow, of St Maarten; and Ihndhira Richardson-Marlin of St Maarten.
Reyes, a dancer, choreographer and educator, helped revive the historic Ponum Dance and once headed St Maarten's Department of Culture. Kirindongo, a visual artist, turns discarded materials such as chrome car bumpers into sculpture and has shown at the Havana, Johannesburg and São Paulo biennials.
Bankie Banx, known for his raspy baritone, founded the Moonsplash Music Festival in Anguilla in 1991 and has worked with Bob Dylan and Jimmy Buffett.
Mighty Dow, whose 1986 hit "St. Maarten Rhumba" made his name, founded Ebony Steel, later Dow's Musical Foundation, and is a Knight in the Order of Oranje-Nassau.
Ruby Bute, a painter, poet and teacher who died in 2024, spent more than four decades documenting St Maarten's culture. Henocq founded the Saint Martin Museum, and Rogers served as Acting Attorney-General of Anguilla on several occasions.
Boetekees has led operations at White Yellow Cross Care Foundation since 2008, Chance founded the United Women Book Club in 2015, and Richardson-Marlin works at INDISU Dance Theater.
The show
The evening will be co-hosted by Errol Fabien and Nikki Crosby, with performances by T-MO, King Beau Beau and Mighty Dow, the INDISU Dance Theater and Trinidadian jazz artist John Arnold.
"These nominees reflect the extraordinary depth, diversity and international reach of Caribbean talent," Figaro said.
