Student singers, dancers, poets vie for cash prize in Manifest Fellowship university contest

Phaneroo Ministries is taking its Manifest Got Gifts talent auditions to university campuses for the first time, with a cash prize of up to  Shs and mentorship awaiting the overall winner.

Manifest Fellowship, the ministry’s outreach arm, launched the performing arts competition at last year’s Global Interuniversity Conference. 

It now holds auditions during Catch the Fire, a series of Friday gatherings at universities ahead of the conference.

Makerere University, Kyambogo University, St Lawrence University and Kampala International University have hosted auditions. 

Singers, actors, spoken-word poets and dancers have taken part. Manifest Fellowship says it will announce more venues on its social media pages.

Contestants have three to five minutes to perform before a panel of creative professionals from the ministry. Judges assess their technical skill, stage presence, confidence, ability to engage the audience and potential to improve.

Five performers from each campus advance to the grand finale at the fifth Global Interuniversity Conference on Saturday, November 14, 2026. The event starts at 9am at Phaneroo Grounds in Naguru and will draw students from Uganda and abroad.

Apostle Grace said the competition gives students a place to develop their talents and explore how to use them beyond church services.

“Not everyone is called to the pulpit; many of you will change the world through music, or through leadership and innovation,” he said.

The talent competition runs alongside the Manifest Kickstarter Innovation Challenge, which supports student entrepreneurs. Phaneroo also holds weekly fellowships at universities and runs outreach programmes in prisons and hospitals.

The conference is free and open to all students. Organisers say they will provide free transport from selected universities and pickup points across the country. They are working with police and other security agencies to manage traffic and keep attendees safe.