Distinctive, unique, and inspires pride

Unlike previous years, the 18th National Journalism Awards Ceremony underwent changes, leaving a strong impression on journalists nationwide and the journalism-loving public. Many authors were surprised by the innovative organization, not only in the script content but also in the venue where the awards ceremony took place, creating a comfortable atmosphere for everyone attending the program.

Author- and author-centered

Recognizing that the National Journalism Awards Ceremony is an important occasion to encourage and motivate journalists who have continuously strived to build a revolutionary Vietnamese press that is highly combative, humane, professional, and modern, the organizing committee has determined that this year's awards should feature innovative approaches in line with the recent journalistic reforms.

Journalist Le Quoc Minh, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, and President of the Vietnam Journalists Association, stated that while there are many different national journalism awards and numerous awards from ministries and departments each year, the award ceremonies are generally quite formulaic and follow a traditional style.

Journalist Le Quoc Minh, Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the Central Propaganda Department, and President of the Vietnam Journalists Association, provided information on innovation at the 18th National Journalism Awards Ceremony. Photo: Son Hai

“This year, coinciding with the 99th anniversary of Vietnam's Revolutionary Press Day, we wanted to create something different, and the most important difference is placing the authors and groups of authors at the center. We proposed solutions on how to honor them appropriately. Usually, a category has a few awards, which is easy, but with the National Press Awards, there are dozens of awards for a single B, C, or Encouragement prize, so the challenge is how to create something different…” , journalist Le Quoc Minh shared.

The innovation and creativity also presented a challenge for the organizers: how to avoid a situation where authors lined up on stage to give and receive awards, leaving the audience unsure whether their work and the name being announced by the presenter belonged to the author receiving the award. The organizers strived to ensure that those on stage felt honored, and those in the audience felt proud and wished they too could one day stand on that stage and receive an award.

With the author at the heart of the event, the organizers completely changed the program format. This included finding a venue, using a stage, and developing the concept. The stage design, in particular, addressed the needs of the audience and how to manage the flow of people going up to receive awards in a suitable manner.

In this regard, the organizers have come up with a solution: the authors will stand on stage, and when the lights shine on them, their names and works will be displayed. Each award category will have different presentation methods to avoid monotony, striving for increasingly creative and impressive presentations as the competition progresses.

Journalist Le Quoc Minh stated: "The challenge is to avoid turning the awards ceremony into a showbiz stage, while maintaining a serious and formal tone, including speeches from Party and State leaders, and information about the awards organization to introduce to the public. The cultural performances must not overshadow the awards presentation. We have commissioned the creation of a song specifically for this year's awards ceremony. The organizing committee has considered several suitable venues – not too large, not too small, convenient for authors from various provinces and cities to travel to, and ensuring no unnecessary expenses. We have unanimously chosen the ICE hall at the Vietnam-Soviet Friendship Palace, with its large space, for the performance."

President To Lam, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, and Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper Le Quoc Minh - President of the Vietnam Journalists Association, along with other delegates, visited the photo exhibition booths at the ceremony. Photo: Son Hai

In addition, the organizers have tried to create unique works with unique characteristics for the performances. The images shown are also carefully selected. In the award ceremony for each content and category, new technology is also used, taking into account safety factors. The coordination with the director team and the filming and programming team of Vietnam Television (VTV) is also coordinated smoothly.

As we all know, in recent years, journalism has undergone many innovations, in which many television programs and television reports have been creative and invested in, attracting public attention. However, the innovation in awarding the National Press Awards has followed a pattern for quite a long time.

With this innovation and attempt to make a mark, the organizers hope to step outside their "comfort zone," to experiment and implement new things. Choosing the National Journalism Awards ceremony as a testament to their efforts to innovate, to dare to think and act, and to step outside their comfort zone to create a truly worthy event.

Maintaining the spirit of creativity and innovation in journalism

According to Mr. Hoang Cong Cuong, the event's general director, the National Journalism Awards Ceremony, or awards ceremonies in general in Vietnam, follows a fixed format. This year, with the guidance of Comrade Le Quoc Minh and the team, innovation and creativity are essential. Moreover, this program is a national-branded journalism awards ceremony, so it is even more necessary to have something different.

“This was a very challenging task. The Vietnam Journalists Association also suggested that the program should place the award-winning journalists at the center, so that they would feel truly proud. Especially since the National Journalism Awards ceremony is a well-established event, we were even more determined. The entire team spent two months preparing everything, from brainstorming ideas and designing the stage to structuring the program,” shared General Director Hoang Cong Cuong.

Performances at the 18th National Press Awards Ceremony - 2023. Photo: Son Hai

To find a solution to this difficult problem, the organizing team focused on the script with a consistent idea. Specifically, in the opening segment, an image of President Ho Chi Minh appeared with his views on the revolutionary Vietnamese press: "The press is a vanguard force on the ideological and cultural front," and "The task of the press is to serve the people and the revolution." This has also been the guiding principle for journalists in our country for many generations.

Next, the four forms of journalism (television, radio, print, and online) were also "artisticized" through a contemporary dance performance titled "Pure Heart, Bright Pen." The artists appeared with lamps in their hands, symbolizing a pure heart. Behind them, pens reached high, representing the dedication and respect for truth of those in the profession.

The opening section concludes with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's admonition: "Revolutionary journalism is also a sharp weapon that propels society forward… Journalism must contribute to creating unity and immense combined strength for the revolution."

Furthermore, throughout the event, the audience also had the opportunity to listen to the thoughts and aspirations of journalists themselves through meticulously produced documentaries. All these elements created a coherent flow, partly illustrating the spirit of dedication of journalism throughout its 99 years of development.

Confirming that all parts and performances were meticulously and comprehensively "tailored" specifically for the press, General Director Hoang Cong Cuong added that this approach maintained the journalistic integrity of the entire event.

“All the performances aimed at the ultimate goal of conveying a message about journalism and journalists. Even the final song, titled 'Sending Love and Beliefs,' specially composed for the awards ceremony and featuring a rap part by singer Phuc Bo, was a pleasant surprise that the team wanted to bring to the public. Here, the breath of contemporary music closely combined with the main message made the event even more impactful,” emphasized general director Hoang Cong Cuong.

Journalist Thanh Vu from the Center for Digital Content Production and Development, Vietnam Television (VTV), the event production unit, shared: "The National Journalism Awards is the biggest event for Vietnamese journalists. We worked with a spirit of openness, innovation, responsibility, and meticulous attention to every word and phrase, from the script to the final rehearsal and broadcast, with the mindset that this program would be watched by the most discerning viewers, so there could be no mistakes whatsoever."

The 18th National Journalism Awards Ceremony truly became a place to honor authors and groups of authors with outstanding works in their professional activities. Photo: Son Hai

Building on the success and impressive results of the 18th National Journalism Awards Ceremony, the organizing committee will continue preparations for the 100th anniversary of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Journalism Day, especially for next year's National Journalism Awards Ceremony.

Journalist Le Quoc Minh stated: "With the attention of the Party and State leaders, primarily the Central Propaganda Department, the dissemination of information regarding commemorative activities for this milestone has been underway for a long time. Based on this, the Vietnam Journalists Association has issued guidelines to local journalists' associations and affiliated branches to implement emulation movements, creating new content and journalistic products, building a cultural environment, and even organizing side activities such as sporting events, journalism competitions, photojournalism, and video competitions..."

“We have detailed plans for next year, especially the National Press Conference, which is an important event organized on a large scale, and the 19th National Journalism Awards Ceremony, which will be built with a unique and creative script and will have many new elements. Currently, the Vietnam Journalists Association has a plan and will prepare for its implementation at the end of the year. Hopefully, the aforementioned activities will maintain the spirit of creativity and innovation so that the press always feels that the Vietnam Journalists Association is a common home for journalists nationwide,” the President of the Vietnam Journalists Association emphasized.

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/le-trao-giai-bao-chi-quoc-gia-lan-thu-18-dac-sac-doc-dao-nhan-len-niem-tu-hao-post300899.html