We are so happy to be looking back at every single proudly South African accomplishment earned in 2020 in our beautiful country!
South Africa (19 November 2020) – Last year we wrote an article listing every accomplishment earned by South Africans and readers loved it, so we decided to rerun the list, only this list features all the things accomplished in 2020.
Many South Africans have done incredible things, and the team at Good Things Guy have spent the year capturing those stories highlighting all the awards, accolades and accomplishments.
We rise by lifting others, and so many South Africans keep helping us and each other rise. This is yet another year of unbelievable pride in our country. It may have been a hard year, but we still have reason to smile.
As always, it is tricky to list every single accomplishment, but we like a challenge, and so we decided to sift through all stories featured on Good Things Guy this year and put them into one giant list. And with your help – in case we missed a few – we might be able to create a complete list!
So if you see something missing, or believe that someone belongs on this list, please comment below!
We have separated them into a few different categories, like sports, lifestyle, education, musical and other. So let’s get started.
These are all the people that flew the South African flag high in 2020 (and made us all feel proudly South African in the process).
Education
- South African school wins 3 international awards for innovating education. Read the full story here.
- Team South Africa wins international moot court competition. Read the full story here.
- Student’s innovation voted best student enterprise in South Africa for 2020. This is his full story.
- A South African Professor just awarded as Africa’s greatest visionary in the development of higher education! Read his story here.
- South African University sign agreement with New York University to strengthen ties! Read the full story here.
- Two SA professors win prestigious awards at ‘Science Oscars’! Read the story here.
- Dr Mpho Tshivhase honoured with prestigious Award!!!! Read the full story here.
- SA law professor recognised among 500 of the top around the globe! Read the story here.
- The University of Pretoria Chancellor included in a list of 100 most reputable Africans! Read the story here.
- Seven South African schools selected for inaugural World Education Week. Read the story here.
- Two of South Africa’s professors awarded by Academy of Science. Read the full story here.
- SA scientists develop ground-breaking nanobodies for COVID-19 detection and therapy. Read the story here.
- Rapid Test for SARS-CoV2 Wins First Prize in Annual Innovation Competition. Read the story here.
- South African Professor Awarded with Prestigious International Accolade! Read the story here.
Environment
- Proudly South African – Stroop wins prestigious SAFTA!!! Read the full story here.
- SA documentary ‘Blood Lions’ win award – “Most Compelling Digital Story”. Read the full story here.
- A new species of Seahorse has been found in South Africa. Read the full story here.
- Conservation park celebrates 5 years without a Rhino Poaching incident. Read the story here.
- 2020 Rhino Conservation Award winners announced in time for World Ranger Day. Read the full story here.
- A new study finds SA’s Springhare is a better hopper than Australia’s Kangaroos. Read the story here.
- South African honoured with the prestigious WWF award! Read the story here.
- BirdPro crowned as 2020’s most innovative South African App! Read the story here.
- Another SA conservation documentary wins prestigious international award! Read the full story here.
Lifestyle
- Cape Town named on “Top 50 Best Places to visit this Decade” list. Read the full story here.
- Cape Town voted in Top 20 ‘Most Instagrammable’ cities in the world. Read the full story here.
- A new study reveals that Cape Town is Africa’s leading art capital. Read the full story here.
- Springbok Culinary Team aims for gold at the Olympics in Germany. Read the full story here.
- South African wine shines at Russian trade show!!! Read the full story here.
- Culinary Team SA wins the first medal at Culinary Olympics in Germany. Read the full story here.
- Culinary Team SA head home with all their #PROUDLYSA medals. Read the full story here.
- SA filmmaker heads to Hollywood with an award-winning documentary. Read her story here.
- SA’s Panorama Route makes Top 50 Most Scenic Drives in the World list. Read the full story here.
- South African Chefs featured in free eBook amongst world’s best chefs! Read the story here.
- Local filmmaker wins at international film festival amidst COVID-19 pandemic. Read the full story here.
- Love Cape Town, The Movie – awarded a top spot at the international tourism film festival. Read the full story here.
- All-African series nominated at the International Animation Film Festival!!! Read the full story here.
- South African Wine Farm earns World’s Best title at Sparkling Wine Awards. Read the full story here.
- Kruger Park and Cape Town on Top 50 destinations post-lockdown travel list. Read the full story here.
- A little Respect – South African born Director at the helm of Aretha Franklin biopic! Read the full story here.
- South African restaurant recognised in the top 100 in World!!! Read the story here.
- SA safari lodge takes top honours in coveted 2020 Travel + Leisure Awards. Read the full story here.
- Despite the paused tourism industry, SA ranks in top spots for 2020. Read the full story here.
- Table Mountain Cableway nominated for Africa’s World Travel Awards 2020. Read the story here.
- South African wine estate honoured in prestigious Tourism Conservation awards! Read the full story here.
- South African restaurant named as one of the world’s favourites! Read the story here.
- Cape Town nominated as a finalist in the World Travel Awards Africa. Read the story here.
- South African wine label runner-up in global wine design awards. Read the story here.
- Western Cape Distillery shines the spotlight on South Africa with 2nd win at global awards. Read the story here.
- These South African resorts have just been announced as the best in the world!!! Read the story here.
- Wine farm wins three prestigious Proudly South African trophies. Read the story here.
- Poppie Nongena wins Best Picture at an international film festival!!! Read the story here.
- South African short ‘My Father the Mover’ gets picked up by MTV Documentary Films. Read the story here.
- South African lodge honoured with 14 prestigious global travel awards! Read the story here.
- Table Mountain has been voted Africa’s Leading Tourist Attraction! Read the story here.
- South Africa Walks Away with Several 2020 World Travel Awards. Read the story here.
- Cape Town Produced Sauvignon Blanc Named Best In The World. Read the story here.
- South African Independent Horror Film ‘8’ Won 3 International Awards. Read the story here.
- SA Film “Moffie” Long-Listed Golden Globe’s Foreign Film Category. Read the full story here.
- SA Films and Series that did well Internationally during 2020. Read the story here
- SA Horror “8” Wins 5 International Film Festival Awards. Read the story here.
Music
- Mi Casa signs an international record deal and drops hot new music video! Read the full story here.
- Mzansi Youth Choir wins prestigious award! #ProudlySA. Read the full story here.
- South African song Jerusalema becomes a global phenomenon. Read the full story here.
- South Africa’s Belinda Davids makes semi-finals on Britain’s Got Talent! Read her story here.
- South Africans have talent! Another local wows audiences with his voice. Read the story here.
- SA’s Master KG earns 5 award nominations for global hit Jerusalema. Read the story here.
- Master KG earns 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards nomination for Jerusalema. Read the story here.
- Talented ‘Jerusalema’ singer Nomcebo Zikode signs international music deal. Read the full story here.
- Master KG wins at 2020 MTV Europe Music Awards for Jerusalema. Read the story here.
- SA Musician Wins Best Music Video at Hollywood South Film Festival. Read the full story here.
- SA Composer Nominated for Grammy ‘Best Traditional R&B Performance’. Read the story here.
People
- South African sets new World Record for 70m ice dive wearing a bikini. Read her story here.
- South African Chef receives a nomination for a prestigious global award! Read her story here.
- South African actress Jessica Sutton stars in new Hollywood series. Read her story here.
- SA photographers make it into Red Bull Illume Special Image Quest 2020. Read the story here.
- SA architect wins gold at the prestigious international awards ceremony! Read the story here.
- Young South African cast in the leading role of an international movie! Read her story here.
- SA artist who went viral painting with coffee gets first international exhibition. Read his story here.
- South African receives international recognition for social innovation! Read the full story here.
- Four South African volunteers honoured in global COVID-19 “Hall of Fame”. Read the story here.
- SA screenwriter gets coveted ‘RECOMMEND’ from international producers for latest thriller. Read the story here.
- South African nominated for Power100 Most Influential Construction Leaders of 2020. Read the story here.
- Local fashion designer earns Independent Designer of the Year Award. Read the full story here.
- South African recognised as one of the top 50 librarians in the world! Read the story here.
- Meet the new Miss South Africa, Shudufhadzo Musida. Read the story here.
- Air Jaws – South African photographer wins prestigious international award! Read the story here.
- SA chef and restaurant win big at Hosco Luxe Restaurant Awards. Read the story here.
- South Africa has a New World Champion… Who Likes Marmite A LOT! Read the story here.
- Trevor Noah to Host the 2021 GRAMMY Awards! Read the full story here.
- SA Writer/Director Selected to Feature Short Film at Sundance 2021. Read her story here.
- Founder of South African NPO, Litter4Tokens, Honoured with Two Top Global Awards. Read the story here.
Sports
- SA swimmer Natalie Du Toit has made the shortlist for the Laureus Sporting Moment of the last 2 decades! Read the full story here.
- Kirsten Landman and Taye Perry become first women from Africa to finish Dakar on Bikes. Read their stories here.
- Banyana Banyana star follows international football dream to Portugal. Read the full story here.
- Bryan Habana inducted into Laureus World Sports Academy. Read his story here.
- South Africa Rugby World Cup Champions win Laureus Team of the Year Award!!! Read the full story here.
- South Africa wins off-road bike competition in New Zealand. Read the full story here.
- Carina Bruwer first woman to cross Nelson Mandela Bay in a gruelling and extreme solo-charity swim. Read her story here.
- Champions – Blitzboks overhaul Fiji in dramatic Los Angeles final. Read the full story here.
- South African’s featured on Top 10 list of paddling films in an international magazine. Read the full story here.
- Extreme Swimmer Ryan Stramrood breaks Robben Island Crossings record. Read the full story here.
- Siya Kolisi has been named the most influential person in rugby! Read the story here.
- South African joins Red Bull team as first ESPORTS athlete in Africa!!! Read his story here.
- Brad Binder – The first South African to win at MotoGP. Read the full story here.
- Faf de Klerk gets his face painted on Twickenham’s pitch. Read the full story here.
- Darryn Binder earns podium win at Moto3 race over the weekend. Read the full story here.
- Babalwa Latsha, captain for Springbok Women, named one of Africa’s unstoppables! Read her story here.
- Khololwam Montsi on the rise to becoming a household name in tennis. Read his story here.
- Rider breaks the record for racing 2150km across South Africa. Read the story here.
- Becoming 33 – Watch the meteoric rise of MotoGP star Brad Binder! Read the story here.
- South Africa’s young golf star “SimTiger” wins four new awards. Read the story here.
- Rising with the Sun: Thomas van Tonder’s journey to a GUINNESS WORLD RECORD. Read the full story here.
- Thomas Van Tonder gets High Above Soweto with 90m Rope Climb Record. Read the story here.
- Quinton Rutherford Earns a Guinness World Record for Longest Ocean Paddle. Read his full story here.
- Brad Binder Crowned MotoGP’s 2020 Rookie of the Year. Read his story here.
- Alan van der Merwe – The South African who made Headlines after F1 Crash. Read the full story here.
- Alwyn Uys became First Paraplegic Swimmer to cross from Robben Island. Read the story here.
Other
- Africa’s first win at a top international business school competition. Read the full story here.
- South African company wins German Design Award for Excellent Architecture. Read the full story here.
- Proudly SA store wins Retailer of the Year at London’s Whisky Awards. Read the full story here.
- Cape Town Hospital undertakes the first organ harvesting procedure. Read the full story here.
- South African artists’ works put on auction at prestigious Sotheby’s London. Read the full story here.
- South African animation earns gold star at the International Emmys! Read the full story here.
- GIBS ranked number one again in Africa for executive education by Financial Times. Read the full story here.
- Coronavirus breakthrough drug is made in SA – and costs only R150. Read the full story here.
- SA Sanctuary wins International Prestige Award for Best Childcare Service. Read the story here.
- South Africa ranked as top Global Business Services destination. Read the story here.
- Another SA win! Company wins major international Purpose Award. Read the story here.
- Two South African charities nominated for the Global Fundraising Awards. Read the story here.
- SA Astronomical Observatory unveiled as national heritage site. Read the full story here.
- Two South Africans win big at 2020 Global Fundraising Awards. Read the story here.
- These are 6 of the Most Incredible South African Innovations of 2020. Read the full story here.
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