'Essay about balut eggs' won first prize in 'Comic writing contest'

(PLVN) - The award ceremony of the first Comic Writing Contest and the launch of the award-winning comic book collections "Essay on Balut Eggs" and "Red Pencil, Lockdown in Foreign Countries & Comic Rental Shop" co-organized by the French Institute in Vietnam and Kim Dong Publishing House took place on May 27, 2025 in Hanoi.

During the program, readers will meet the winners of the “First Comic Creation Competition” (2024), and listen to interesting stories from their trip to the “Angoulême Comics Festival - the world's largest comic festival”. This is a gathering place for the world's leading comic creators, an extremely valuable opportunity for Vietnamese artists to exchange and learn from each other.

On this occasion, Kim Dong Publishing House also organized the launch of two story collections: "Essay on Balut Eggs" and "Red Pencil, Lockdown in Foreign Land & Story Rental Shop" - a collection of award-winning works in the "First Comic Writing Contest".

Two comic books selected from the winning works of the 2024 Comic Creation Contest. (photo by K.D)

“Essay on Balut Eggs” - the first prize winning work about his mother’s job of selling balut eggs from a young boy had a strong impact on an artist, reviving in him the memory of his father. The book is printed in Vietnamese - French bilingual with two unique reverse directions. According to artist Ta Huy Long, the work is highly appreciated thanks to “the professional way of expressing in the narrative, the way of developing the theme, the rhythm of the story”. Author Tran Khac Khoan brings a story close to current life, connecting both young readers and adults who see themselves in it.

Ms. Rachida Dati, French Minister of Culture and the delegation at the event. (photo K.D)

“Red Pencil, Foreign Lockdown & Comic Rental Shop” introduces three stories from three authors, groups of authors pursuing different styles. An adventure to a magical world thanks to the power of a red pencil, associated with many cultural elements that are distinctly Vietnamese; a record of the difficult COVID-19 period in a foreign land but helping us grow up a lot; a memory of an old comic rental shop in a small market that is part of the childhood memories of every boy and girl of the 8x, 9x generation.

Following the success of the contest, the "Second Comic Creation" (2025) contest is currently accepting entries until the end of June 2025. The contest is not only an opportunity for comic authors and artists to showcase their talents, but also contributes to building the comic creation community and developing this art book genre in Vietnam.

With the desire to find Vietnamese comic authors and artists and develop Vietnamese comic art, the first "Comic Creation" contest took place from June to November 2024, attracting more than 100 works from comic authors across the country. The jury, including prestigious French and Vietnamese authors Clément Baloup, Maxime Péroz, Ta Huy Long and Nguyen Thanh Phong, found the best works to award.

Second Prize was awarded to author Cao Hoang Anh Thu (born in 1999, Ho Chi Minh City) with the work: Red Pencil; Third Prize was awarded to author Tran Thao Nguyen (born in 1996, Ho Chi Minh City) with the work: Lockdown in a foreign land; 02 Encouragement Prizes were awarded to 2 groups of authors: Ngo Thi Ngoc Anh, Vuong Nhien Khang with the work: Story rental shop; and group of authors Nguyen Hai Nam, Do Dinh Cuong with the work: Bug/ Finding Evergreen.

The entries are diverse in theme and style, demonstrating the creativity and enthusiasm of authors of all ages, promising to bring a breath of fresh air to the domestic comic market.

Bao Chau

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/bai-van-ve-trung-vit-lon-dat-giai-nhat-cuoc-thi-sang-tac-truyen-tranh-post549883.html