ArtRwanda

About us

The ArtRwanda-Ubuhanzi is a televised nationwide talent search project implemented by Imbuto Foundation in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth since 2018. The project identifies and supports young and talented Rwandans within the creative arts industry in 9 different categories (Film making, Photography, Digital Art, Acting & Drama, Dance, Fashion Design, Music, Literature, Visual and Plastic Arts). What We Do We believe that young Rwandans with creative talent need to be…

How the programme works

01 Auditions at the provincial level

Young Rwandan talents from all over the country will audition from their district, where the best will be selected, as per the nine categories. Contestants selected at the provincial level will continue to the pre-final stage, which is held in Kigali.

02 Pre-final phase

During the pre-final stage, contestants who were selected during auditions at the Provincial level, will audition in front of a panel of judges, which will select the best as per category. Selected contestants will then move forward to the next phase, which is the boot-camp.

03 Boot-camp phase

Selected contestants will be mentored on pitching, entrepreneurship, and business skills. They will be placed into 6 groups by artistic category and challenged to develop artistic, income-generating projects showcasing sustainability and youth employment. They will receive support to finalize projects for presentation at the Youth Forum Series.

04 Boot-camp phase

After a two months intensive training, three emerging winners in their categories will be picked, with the top winner receiving Rwf 1,000,000. The three best projects will win, each, Rwf 10,000,000 seed funding.

The fields we work in

Each edition sets its own scope. The 2026 special cultural edition works in five of these fields; earlier editions covered all nine.

Filmmaking

Directors, cinematographers and editors who tell Rwandan stories through short and long-form film.

Photography

Portrait, documentary and fashion photographers capturing identity, culture and everyday life.

Digital art

Illustrators, motion designers and 3D artists building new visual languages for screens and spaces.

Acting & drama

Stage and screen performers shaping character, emotion and narrative in live and recorded work.

Dance

Contemporary and traditional dancers exploring movement, rhythm and Rwandan heritage on stage.

Fashion

Designers, stylists and textile artists reimagining Rwandan dress and craft for global audiences.

Music

Vocalists, instrumentalists and producers creating original sound across genres and traditions.

Literature

Poets, novelists and storytellers writing prose, verse and scripts that travel from page to stage.

Visual & plastic arts

Painters, sculptors and mixed-media artists producing physical and visual work for exhibitions and collections.

Aspiring artists reached through the programme

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Young artists supported across three editions

Editions delivered since the programme launched in 2018

Creative revenues generated through the ARU Showroom as of June 2025

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Editions

2026

The special cultural edition. Fifty finalists across five disciplines reinterpret Rwandan heritage, with a showcase in January 2027.

Third Edition

587 contestants auditioned; 70 reached the bootcamp and presented at the Youth Forum Series.

Second Edition

The second nationwide call, expanding the road trip
auditions across all provinces.

First Edition

The first edition, launched at Kigali Cultural Village across nine creative arts categories.