The 2025 Cricket Awards honor works by and for children.

The most important award, the most noble award - the Cricket Knight Award in the 2025 season was given to musician Pham Tuyen, for dedicating his life and career to children with timeless musical works, and for having an excellent work, which entered the final round of the year of the award, which is the book "Back to the Countryside - Khuc Dong Nhi Cua Be" - a multimedia music collection by Pham Tuyen - Pham Hong Tuyen, published by the University of Education Publishing House. According to the Organizing Committee, this is the first time the award has a Cricket Knight as a musician. Previous Cricket Knight Awards belonged to literary authors.

The 6th De Men Children's Award 2025 of the Sports and Culture Newspaper (Vietnam News Agency) concluded with the Award Ceremony taking place on the afternoon of May 28, at the headquarters of the National News Center (No. 5 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi). This year's award was given to outstanding artistic compositions and performances "by children" and "for children".

Knight De Men honors musician Pham Tuyen

Vice President of the Vietnam Writers Association, Chairman of the Jury Council Tran Dang Khoa and Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Ngoc Thuong presented the first "De Men Aspiration" awards to the authors. Photo: Le Dong/VNA

Musician Pham Tuyen (born in 1930) is one of the great names in modern Vietnamese music . In his massive composing career spanning more than half a century, musician Pham Tuyen has a “fortune” of more than 700 songs, leaving a deep mark on Vietnamese musical life. Among them, there are more than 200 songs written for children.

With a bright, memorable musical style, close to the lives and souls of children, his songs such as “Chiec den ong sao”, “Canh an tuoi thu”, “Truong toi la truong non”, “Chu voi con o Ban Don”, “Tien len doan vien”… have become classic children’s songs of Vietnamese music, living forever in the memories of many generations of Vietnamese children.

However, few people know that he also has a special "treasure": 41 ancient nursery rhymes that he composed, containing the soulful and intimate beauty of the natural landscape, people, and Vietnamese folk culture. For the first time, after many years of lying dormant in a music book, that "treasure" has been introduced through the book project "Nursery Songs of Children" in which his daughter - journalist Pham Hong Tuyen - is the narrator.

Children's nursery rhymes is a series of 5 books, of which "Back to the countryside - Children's nursery rhymes" is the first volume to be published. Of the 41 nursery rhymes published under this project, only 5 songs: "Rềnh rềnh rang reo", "bà họng đi cho", "Ganh ganh gong gong", "Bầu và Bí", "Con chim chich choe" have been recorded. The remaining 36 songs, including many familiar nursery rhymes such as "Mau mau tinh thuy", "Thương con ba ba", "Cai co di don con mua", "Cai bong"... are recorded for the first time.

Not stopping at "introducing songs", the work "Back to the Countryside - Children's Song" by Pham Tuyen - Pham Hong Tuyen chose the form of a multimedia book, combining storytelling, music, illustrations and QR codes to listen to music, listen to stories - creating a continuous experience for young children.

Each book in the “Baby Nursery Rhymes” series is therefore a silent and persistent effort to preserve the Vietnamese spirit, through bright illustrations, simple stories and sweet songs. Each nursery rhyme is not only music, a story, but also a game, thereby helping the song become lively.

With his lifelong dedication and career to children with timeless musical works, along with the imprints of the book project "Children's Nursery Rhymes", musician Pham Tuyen deserves the title "Knight of Crickets".

Impressed with the paintings of the "child artist"

Almost a tradition, every season of the Cricket Awards has discovered truly outstanding children to honor. This year, the award honored the collection of paintings by "child artist" Pham Hai Nguyen (13 years old) from Lang Son. According to the Organizing Committee, Pham Hai Nguyen's collection of paintings left a deep impression and brought special emotions to the Jury of the Cricket Awards 2025, because of his free and fresh creative spirit.

At the 2025 Cricket Awards Ceremony, the Organizing Committee brought 12 paintings by Pham Hai Nguyen to display. Looking at the works in the 2025 Cricket Awards series by the "child artist", viewers can feel quite profound thoughts about people and events happening in daily life. Although only 13 years old, Nguyen's perspective has matured quite early. That maturity has been depicted by Nguyen in acrylic through themes such as: "Ambition", "Nightmare", "Freedom", "Labor"...

Nguyen's paintings show meticulous observations of every aspect of life that he has access to, visualized through the thoughts and eyes of a child, especially the perspective on the highlights of people - something that few of his peers can recognize. However, Nguyen has not lost the innocence and purity of a school-age boy. In the paintings of this young artist, one can see the combination of mature thinking and the playfulness of children.

Artist Thanh Chuong expressed his surprise when he saw Pham Hai Nguyen's paintings. He was especially impressed that the 13-year-old artist was able to create works that both retained innocence and carried maturity in thinking, depth, and even very mature philosophies. He said that this was a good sign, demonstrating the development of the younger generation.

Honoring many young authors

The author who received the "De Men Aspiration" award for children shares his feelings about the award. Photo: Le Dong/VNA

According to the Organizing Committee, one of the highlights of the 6th De Men Children's Award in 2025 is to honor a series of young, new authors writing for children . According to statistics, up to 3/5 of the De Men Aspiration Awards are young authors, new writers writing for children.

First of all, we must mention the author Dy Duyen - who has 2 works honored: "From the vegetable fields at Cuc Cu farm" (Drawn by Dom Dom) and "The things you use to fill a hole" (Drawn by Thanh Vu), both published by Kim Dong Publishing House.

Author Dy Duyen was born in 1987 and has only been writing for children for the past few years. In 2019, she released her debut work “Cúc đại và tia nang” (Wild Daisies and Sunlight) - a story with a fairy tale feel. Dy Duyen’s two collections of stories at this year’s De Men Awards have made a great impression and sympathy with the judges.

Commenting on the two works of young author Dy Duyen, Associate Professor, Doctor, critic Ngo Van Gia said that the story collection “The things you use to fill a hole” combines the innocence of childhood and the depth of humanity. Meanwhile, the story collection “From the vegetable fields at Cuc Cu farm” chooses the fairy tale writing style, writing about the animal world with good imagination. Through small stories in continuity (characters, space, events...), the story collection opens up a consistent, pure natural and ecological beauty. It contributes to cultivating children’s understanding and love for nature, fields, animals, space...

Another young author honored is Ly Thang Long with his manuscript of the poetry collection “There is a Flat Earth in Your Eyes”. Born in 2000, Ly Thang Long is currently performing military service in Dong Nai. His award-winning poetry collection this time impresses with its combination of innocent perspective and the ability to evoke deep contemplation.

The Jury assessed that “There is a Flat Earth in My Eyes” is a special collection of children’s poems, rich in philosophy and reflection, expressing the profound vision of young people writing about the world of children. With a poetic voice that is both gentle and courageous, the collection of poems touches on big issues such as war, environment, technology, love and difference, but always maintains a natural and symbolic way of expression. The poetic tone is imbued with intimacy and confidence. The author chooses to talk softly with young readers, using familiar and emotional images. It is this gentleness that makes the poems easier to accept, even though they are talking about things that seem very complicated.

Along with that, this year's Cricket Aspiration category also marks the return of author Nguyen Hoang Dieu Thuy with the story collection "The Ancient Book of a Mother Goddess". Previously, in 2022, this author also won the Cricket Aspiration Award with the work "Swinging on the Top of the Banyan Tree". According to the Jury, this return of Nguyen Hoang Dieu Thuy is still consistent with a beautiful writing style, true to the child's nature. Notably, in the story collection awarded this time, the author has made certain developments when choosing a good situation, with adventure and thrill. The story is developed on the background of the ecological landscape, geography, and culture of ethnic minorities in the Northeast of the Fatherland, which is also a highlight of the work.

According to the Organizing Committee, the works honored at this Award Ceremony all left deep impressions on the Jury, because of their contributions to children and for children.

The 2025 Cricket Awards season has come to an end with many valuable works. The award organizers hope that each work honored today will not only stop at the award, but will be a companion to children throughout their innocent and creative childhood, contributing to building a young generation of Vietnam - the owner of the era of national growth - strong, confident and humane.

( According to https://baotintuc.vn/van-hoa/giai-thuong-de-men-2025-vinh-danh-nhung-sang-tac-cua-thieu-nhi-va-vi-thieu-nhi-20250528193218384.htm )

Source: https://baoapbac.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202505/giai-thuong-de-men-2025-vinh-danh-nhung-sang-tac-cua-thieu-nhi-va-vi-thieu-nhi-1043852/