From student to studio: PUBG MOBILE's Rising Designer returns with two paid internships for African designers

PUBG MOBILE’s Rising Designer programme is open to young African artists for a second time, with an opportunity to secure paid internship placements.

SOUTH AFRICA, August 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Rising Designer, the exclusive design internship programme by popular mobile game PUBG MOBILE, is now underway for its second season across Africa. In addition to offering the chance to secure paid internships at leading design studios across the continent, the programme also affords the opportunity for interns’ creations to be featured in the game, as part of its ‘For Africa, By Africa’ initiative.

Paving the way for budding designers to gain hands-on experience and help build a career, Rising Designer’s second season has received over 50 applications and counting, from across the continent, with over 100 expected closer to the deadline on 1 September 2026 . Through the programme, PUBG MOBILE is supporting Africa's creative talent to gain global visibility, addressing a gap identified by the UN Economic Commission for Africa: the continent's creative industries employed an estimated 5 million people in 2023, yet Africa accounts for just 1% of creative goods exported worldwide.

With over a billion players worldwide and millions across Africa alone, PUBG MOBILE features a Battle Royale format that keeps players at the edge of their seats as they compete to be the last one standing. The title's substantial presence in Africa is a key driver to introduce local flair within gameplay, in turn inspiring the Rising Designer programme and its community-focused vision to bring local creative talent to the fore.

Part of the overarching Ptopia Design Project (PDP), a global design contest from PUBG MOBILE that discovers talent from around the world, Rising Designer is an offshoot internship programme that has been built exclusively for African design students. Up until now, the programme has attracted universities and design studios across Sub Saharan Africa, for encouraging student participation and for internship placements respectively.

The first cohort of universities that partnered with the Rising Designer season 1 programme include the Academy of Digital Arts, Vega School, the Academic Institute of Excellence, and the University of Johannesburg.

Loud Rabbits, a Cape Town based design studio, is one PUBG MOBILE partner studio that successfully placed two interns from season 1 of the programme, in 2025. On behalf of the leadership team, Jasmine Hawkins, Marketing Manager at Loud Rabbits commented: "It was a pleasure to have the two Rising Designer interns join our team. We took them under our wing and they absolutely smashed it. I believe we were able to provide real-world experience to the two interns, and expose them to an actual design pipeline with client feedback, in a safe environment. We also just adored having fresh creatives around."

Likewise, the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in South Africa was one of the first partner universities for the Rising Designer programme. Brent Swart, a Core PDP Creator for PUBG MOBILE and Lecturer at TUT, also had a few words to share about his interactions with the winning interns: "Having mentored the two previous winners of the Rising Designer programme as both my students, I have seen first-hand how much they've grown, as they've completed their studies and acquired PDP knowledge. The PUBG MOBILE Rising Designer programme is a game-changing opportunity that gives emerging African designers the platform, exposure and confidence to successfully transition into a real studio environment, for turning their creativity into a global career."

Ibukun Awe was one of the winners of Rising Designer's season 1, securing an internship at the Loud Rabbits design studio in Cape Town. Here's what he had to say about the programme: "It was an honour to secure an internship during Rising Designer's season 1. Not a single day passed where I didn't learn something new. Add to this the fact that I got to work directly on PUBG MOBILE projects! My portfolio has been significantly strengthened thanks to all of this, and is now enabling me to progress in my design career with momentum that wouldn't have been possible otherwise.”

PUBG MOBILE is addressing a question the industry is starting to ask - what is the entry point for young new artists into the industry today? Historically, junior artists built careers on entry-level jobs, giving them the experience to hone their skills and build a CV, leading to more senior roles and opportunities. Today, many of these entry-level jobs are increasingly automated. PUBG MOBILE’s Rising Designer programme works to offset this by providing real-life work experience to budding African artists.

Musawenkosi Masondo, the other season 1 winner placed at Loud Rabbits, describes how the programme assisted in his entry into the industry. “Getting the opportunity to work on PUBG MOBILE projects under Loud Rabbits’ guidance was a golden opportunity for me,” he commented. “While I've moved on to other valuable opportunities, I'm immensely grateful for the Rising Designer internship programme. The skills I got to learn at such an early stage of my career have become the foundation of what I do, now and going forward.”

“Inspired by the creativity of Africa's youth and the continent's rich, profound culture, PUBG MOBILE is committed to bringing more authentic African elements into the game — showcasing Africa's creativity to the world," remarks Brian Gu, Head of PUBG MOBILE Africa. "Through the Rising Designer programme, we're empowering local talent who live and breathe African culture, allowing their vision to shine on a global stage."

Looking to apply to the Rising Designer programme? The second season of the Rising Designer programme is open to design students in Africa. Along with two paid internships that are up for grabs at top design studios across the continent, winning interns get to directly work on PUBG MOBILE projects, as well as the possibility to see their creations get featured in the game.

To apply:

1. Students must first submit their artwork to the main PDP competition (https://a.ige.to/pdp2026)
2. Next, fill and submit the Rising Designer internship application (https://a.ige.to/risingdesigner2026)

While the contest has no restrictions on creative style, designs must include male and female character outfits (front and back), along with an upgradeable firearm design.

Applications close on 1 September 2026.

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