To source high-quality, culturally relevant and engaging video content — created by young Ugandan talent — that translates Ministry of Health Ebola prevention messages into stories, reels and digital content that promote positive health behaviours among children, caregivers and school communities.

This is an opportunity for young creatives to use their skills — including AI tools — to contribute to a real public health cause, gain visibility, and be rewarded for original, impactful work.

Beyond the cash prizes, this Challenge is a chance to put your creative talent to work for a cause that matters — and get noticed while doing it.

• Win one (or all!) of three $500 prizes across the Long-Form Video and Reel Series categories.

• Get featured — winning (and select shortlisted) videos will be shared on U-RIL's website and across its social media channels, reaching a wide humanitarian and public audience.

• Build your portfolio with a real, purpose-driven production credit you can showcase to future clients, employers, or schools.

• Make real impact — your video could help protect children and communities across Uganda by making life-saving health messages easier to understand and remember.

• Gain recognition — winners will receive a certificate of recognition from U-RIL, acknowledging their contribution to the Challenge.

• Open doors — strong submissions may lead to future collaboration or paid opportunities with U-RIL or partner organisations on other communication projects.

• Open to young Ugandan creatives: filmmakers, students, content creators, animators, and digital storytellers.

• Individuals or small teams (max. 3 people per entry — team prize money is split among team members; each team should include at least one youth (15-30 years old)).

• Applicants must be Ugandan nationals.

• Suggested age range: 15-30

• Each applicant/team may submit to one, two or all categories, but only one entry per category.

• The applicant/team should be able to provide editable source files if selected.

• Applicants must produce their video(s) based on the provided script(s) under the chosen category.

• The provided script(s) (see below) itself must not be changed. Applicants may make only very slight production-level adjustments that do not affect the script's wording, sequence, or health messaging — for example:

  • Allowed: choice of visual style, setting, casting, music, animation technique, pacing/editing, and how lines are delivered or staged.

  • Not allowed: rewriting, cutting, adding to, reordering, or paraphrasing the script's messages, or altering any medical/health information it contains.

• Content should be:

  • Age-appropriate and suitable for children, adolescents, and community audiences.

  • Culturally relevant to Ugandan communities.

  • Free of any content that is graphic, frightening, stigmatizing, discriminatory, or otherwise inappropriate for a general/family audience.

• Any production format is welcome as long as it faithfully delivers the script: live-action, animation, stop-motion, drama/skits, documentary-style, or AI-generated visuals.

• Videos should be produced in English with subtitle.

Technical Specifications

• Category A (Long-Form Video): under 3 minutes, MP4 format, minimum 1080p resolution, landscape or vertical orientation accepted.

• Category B & C (Reel Series): 4 reels, 15–60 seconds each, MP4 format, minimum 1080p resolution, vertical (9:16) orientation recommended for social media. For Category B or C, applicants must produce all four reels in a consistent style — using the same characters, voiceover, visual tone, and format throughout the set.

• Maximum file size: 800MB per file.

The use of AI tools (e.g. for voiceover, animation, visual generation, or editing) is permitted and welcomed, provided that:

• The final creative work is original and produced/directed by the applicant(s) — AI is a tool to support your creativity, not a substitute for it.

• The content does not reproduce copyrighted material, existing artworks, branded characters, or any third-party intellectual property without rights.

• Applicants must be able to describe their creative process and tools used upon request.

• All content, whether AI-assisted or not, must be free of misinformation and consistent with official Ebola prevention guidance.

• Producers may include their name, handle, or team name in the credits/end of their video.

• If a submission is selected as a winner or finalist, U-RIL reserves the right to request re-editing of the content to:

  • Incorporate organisational branding/logos (U-RIL and/or partner logos).

  • Adapt or adjust certain content, messaging, or technical elements as needed for public health accuracy, safeguarding, or dissemination purposes.

• Applicants agree to reasonably cooperate with such adaptation requests as a condition of receiving the prize.

By submitting an entry to this Challenge, applicants acknowledge and agree that:

• All content submitted becomes the sole property of the Uganda Response Innovation Lab (U-RIL), hosted by Save the Children International, including all associated intellectual property rights, upon submission.

• U-RIL and its partners may use, reproduce, edit, adapt, translate, publish, and distribute submitted content — in whole or in part, and across any platform or medium — without further compensation to the applicant, beyond the prize awarded to winning entries.

• Applicants confirm that their submission is original work, does not infringe on any third party's copyright or intellectual property rights, and that they hold all necessary rights (including for any music, voices, images, or likenesses used) to grant the above rights to U-RIL.

• Applicants retain the right to be credited as the original creator, subject to The Credit & Use of Selected Content section above.

• Submission of an entry constitutes acceptance of these terms in full.

This is a call for creative submissions and does not constitute a job offer, consultancy contract, or guarantee of future engagement. U-RIL reserves the right to modify these terms, extend deadlines, or cancel the Challenge at its discretion.

Call for submissions opens: August 7, 2026

Submission deadline: August 14 (by 12:00 Kampala time), 2026

Winners announced: August 17, 2026

Once your video(s) are complete, upload all final produced files together with any raw materials (e.g. unedited footage, source files, project files) to a single Google Drive folder. Set the folder's sharing permissions so it can be accessed via link, then share the link by emailing grace@responseinnovationlab.com, using the subject line: "Uganda Young Creators Challenge | Category [X — your category] | [Name of Applicant/Team]" (e.g. "Uganda Young Creators Challenge | Category B | Lily Media Collective")