Entertain X created and produced the awards ceremony for the Cultural Talents Tournament in Riyadh—an initiative of the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Education dedicated to discovering and developing young Saudi creative talent.

The ceremony featured speeches by His Highness the Minister of Culture and His Excellency the Minister of Education. The event also marked the inauguration of the Afaq Academy of Arts and Culture.

Performed by young Saudi actors, the bespoke opening show told the true story of an aspiring filmmaker who was unsuccessful in his first tournament audition. Through hard work, determination and perseverance, he returned the following year, succeeded and went on to work for one of Saudi Arabia’s leading production houses.

His journey reflected the wider purpose of the tournament: encouraging young people to develop their abilities and pursue creative opportunities across poetry, filmmaking, music, theatre, visual arts, Arabic calligraphy, manga storytelling and Saudi heritage.

The initiative reached more than 250,000 students across the Kingdom, trained over 8,000 through specialised workshops and recognised 1,900 students for cultural achievements. It also delivered a national bootcamp for 117 participants, discovered more than 50 promising creators and awarded prizes valued at over SAR 5 million.