The awards, organised by Bridgevision in partnership with Rwandan and global institutions, aim to celebrate exceptional authors whose works contribute to education, inspiration, and cultural preservation across Rwanda and Africa.
The five-member jury comprised Francois Nyangezi, a Literary Arts and Design Industry Specialist representing the Ministry of Youth and Arts; Dr. Calixte Kabera, Professor and Vice-Chancellor at East African University; Dr. Karlene N. Jennings, Librarian and America's Regional Public Engagement Director for Central Africa at the U.S. Embassy in Kigali; Jerome Kajuga, Director of Cultural, Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO Rwanda; and Mr. Thomas C. Ngwabije, Book Industry Promotion Officer at the Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy.
The jury selected winners in five categories: Lifetime Achievement Award, Outstanding Young Rwandan Writer, Outstanding Female Rwandan Writer, Outstanding Male Rwandan Writer, and Outstanding African Writer.
Bridgevision CEO Joe E. Sully commended the jury's work, saying the panel had done 'an honourable job in selecting and elevating books meant to educate, inform, inspire, challenge, and comfort readers across the continent.'
This year's award partners include the Ministry of Youth and Arts, UNESCO Rwanda, the Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy, the U.S. Embassy in Kigali, East African University, IGIHE and Mille Collines Hotel.
The identities of the five winners will be formally revealed during the Radiate Rwanda Awards ceremony on November 7, 2025, in Kigali.
The winners of the inaugural Radiate Rwanda Literary Excellence Awards included Yolande Mukagasana, who received the Outstanding Woman Writer Award. Other recipients were Bishop Alexis Kagame and Bishop Aloys Bigirumwami.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
