Established in 2008, the Freedom to Create Prize is a celebration of the courage and creativity of artists around the world who use their talents to build the foundations for open societies and inspire the human spirit. It is open to artists in all creative fields. Each year, US$125,000 in prize money is awarded across three categories: Main, Youth and Imprisoned Artist.

The winners of this year’s Prize were announced at our awards ceremony held at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, on 25 November 2009. Winner of the Main Prize was Mohsen Makhmalbaf, acclaimed Iranian filmmaker. Youth Prize winners were Poimboi Veeyah Koindu, former child soldiers from Sierra Leone who use dance to promote community healing. The Imprisoned Artist winner was Lapiro de Mbanga, Cameroonian musician and social reform campaigner.

Human rights activist Bianca Jagger, leading human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC and acclaimed documentary maker Nick Broomfield presented the awards.

2009 Winners 2009 Awards Ceremony