The five winners of the second edition of the Radiate Rwanda Literary Excellence Awards 2025, are set to be announced on November 7, following a rigorous selection process by a jury of the committee constituted by Rwandan and American personalities in the book industry. The literary award is an initiative by Bridgevision, in collaboration with various Rwandan and international institutions, aimed at celebrating exceptional Rwandan and African authors in Kigali. The awards honor outstanding storytelling and literary achievement, recognizing writers in five categories: Lifetime Achievement Award, Outstanding Young Rwandan Writer, Outstanding Female Rwandan Writer, Outstanding Male Rwandan Writer, and Outstanding African Writer. ALSO READ: Alexis Kagame, Bigirumwami, Mukagasana receive lifetime literary awards Beyond recognition, nurturing African writers According to Françoise Tuyishime, the Chief Operation Officer at Bridgevision, the initiative came in as an element of solution to the problematic of poor reading and writing culture in Rwanda. The few Rwandan authors operating in Rwanda have not been recognized for their outstanding work. “For instance, before Radiate Rwanda, there has never been a platform that recognized the work of Rwandan authors. We thought that it was time to create an environment where we put a spotlight on the outstanding Rwandan and African authors,” she noted. “As a prestigious literary award open to both Rwandans and Africans, we celebrate the best Rwandan and African authors whose works contribute to the intellectual development, storytelling, as well as safeguarding our history for the future generations of Rwandans and Africans,” she said. ALSO READ: Rwanda’s digital literacy surges to 75% Joe E. Sully, the CEO of Bridgevision said that the event is a platform for dialogue with the concerned leaders on the matters within the industry. “We are proud to exhibit Rwanda and Africa impactful books and also create an opportunity for meaningful connections and networking with the whole book’s ecosystem key players,” he noted. Beyond recognition, opportunities such as publishing support, mentorship, or distribution channels, are being created to ensure award-winning writers can sustain their craft and reach wider audiences. “The event not only recognizes the best authors but also awards them with a financial prize to support their continued work. The award winners gain a respectable recognition for their work which opened new horizons worldwide considering Bridgevision's large global network,” he explained. For example, Sully said that the organization is working closer with last year's winner, Yolande Mukagasana, to publish and distribute her next book all across Rwanda. “Winning the award can bring a lot more opportunities for the participants,” he noted. The CEO believes that literary awards like this can contribute to building a stronger reading and writing culture in Rwanda, especially among the youth since it’s giving one of the best strategies to promote the culture of writing and the ultimate recognition for a writer. “We believe in showing the way forward to the youth. Recognizing, supporting and promoting an excellent writer is one of the best ways to attract young people’s attention to writing as a career path,” said Sully. “We are sure that what we do will inspire young people, it will hopefully let them believe that they too can write their stories and be recognized on Rwanda's biggest stage so far for writers.” ALSO READ: 10 gripping books to read as Rwandan authors mark literacy month The jurors roaster includes Francois Nyangezi, Literary Arts and Design Industry Specialist, representing the Ministry of Youth and Arts, Calixte Kabera, Professor and Vice-Chancellor representing East African University, Karlene N. Jennings, Librarian and America’s Regional Public Engagement Director for Central Africa, representing the United States Embassy in Kigali, Jerome Kajuga, Director of Cultura, Social and Human Sciences, representing United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Rwanda and Thomas Ngwabije, Book Industry Promotion Officer, representing Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy. “Our panel of experts are representatives of five respectable Rwandan and international institutions, and we believe that they did an honorable job in selecting and elevating books meant to educate, inform, inspire, challenge, comfort Rwanda and African readers all over the continent. We were fortunate to have these five high caliber judges to pick the winners this year,” said Sully.
