Launching ceremony of the 2nd National Press Award on Gender Equality

On the morning of November 26, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in collaboration with the Vietnam Journalists Association organized the launching ceremony of the 2nd National Press Award on Gender Equality in 2026, continuing to affirm the important role of the press and media in efforts to promote equality in Vietnam.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and President of the Vietnam Women's Union Nguyen Thi Tuyen stated that 2025 is a year of special significance in the global agenda on women and gender equality, as it marks the 30th anniversary of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 25th anniversary of the implementation of Resolution 1325 of the United Nations Security Council on Women, Peace and Security.

These milestones are a reminder of the strong commitment of the international community and Vietnam to promoting the role of women in development, peace and security. In particular, Vietnam has just hosted the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime.

This is the first global legal document to enhance cooperation, prevent and combat cybercrime, protect human rights and build a safe and trustworthy digital environment.

The event is of profound significance in the context of Vietnam's efforts to protect women and children from risks in cyberspace, while promoting gender equality in digital transformation.

The 2nd National Press Award on Gender Equality in 2026 is being held in the context of Vietnam actively implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including goal number 5 related to promoting gender equality.

Vietnam recently held a conference to announce the National Report on 30 years of implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in Vietnam, marking an important milestone in Vietnam's journey to promote gender equality and women's empowerment.

This is also one of the activities within the strategic partnership framework of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union and UN Women to promote a favorable environment for gender equality, women's empowerment and ending gender-based violence against women and girls in Vietnam.

Ms. Caroline Nyamayemombe, Chief Representative of UN Women in Vietnam, said that the National Press Award on Gender Equality is not just a competition; it is a recognition of the indispensable role of the press in challenging gender stereotypes and shaping a society where women and men have equal opportunities to develop.

Ethnic minority women in Gia Lai province have access to social policy credit capital through the Women's Union, thereby creating jobs, improving their lives, and reducing hunger and poverty for this group in the province. (Photo: Hoai Nam/VNA)

This year's awards focus on three crucial themes of our time: Preventing gender-based violence - a global challenge that requires urgent and responsible action, especially in the context of new forms of violence in the digital space; Promoting equality in digital transformation - ensuring women and girls are safe, empowered and have a strong presence in the digital age; Promoting women's economic empowerment - unleashing the full potential of women in the journey towards an inclusive, high-income and net-zero emissions Vietnam in the midst of the climate crisis.

These are not only national priorities but also global priorities, in line with the United Nations' efforts to promote the "Compact for the Future" and the "Global Digital Compact."

Caroline Nyamayemombe hopes the award will inspire a new generation of journalists: brave, empathetic, solution-oriented and committed to giving women and girls a worthy voice.

According to the rules, the National Press Award on Gender Equality will select press works in four categories: print, electronic, radio and television, which have been licensed by competent State agencies to be published/broadcast on mass media from December 1, 2024 to March 30, 2026, with content that meets the award criteria.

Entries need to reflect authentically and diversely about life, the efforts of all levels, sectors and the whole society to contribute to achievements in gender equality.

Works that have participated and won awards at other press awards will not be eligible to participate in the National Press Award on Gender Equality. Each individual, organization, and press agency can submit no more than 5 works to participate in the award.

Awards for works of authors/author groups in 4 categories (print, electronic, radio, television) with the award structure for each category including 1 A prize, 1 B prize, 2 C prizes, 2 Encouragement prizes.

Entries will be sent via email: giaibaochibdg2026@gmail.com, the submission period is from November 27, 2025 to April 5, 2026. The expected award ceremony will be in June 2026.

Information about the award will be widely published on the media channels of the Vietnam Women's Union, UN Women and domestic press agencies.

On the same day, the Dance Composition Contest to communicate on the prevention of the harmful effects of tobacco was held.

The contest was launched by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Women's Union, implemented by the Vietnam Women's Newspaper in collaboration with the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund (Ministry of Health). With the goal of innovating communication methods, the contest uses the form of folk dance to convey information in a lively, accessible and highly contagious way.

Among nearly 50 submitted works, the Organizing Committee selected 30 best works that clearly expressed the message "Live healthy - Live green - No tobacco" for the final round. The first prize was awarded to the Women's Union of Nhat Hoa commune, Lang Son province with the work "For life, for a green planet against tobacco"; in addition, there were 3 second prizes, 6 third prizes, and 10 encouragement prizes. The special point of this year's contest lies in the scoring mechanism that combines expertise and community interaction.

Published works are scored based on interaction effectiveness, including likes, shares, comments, in addition to evaluation from the Expert Council.

This mechanism helps increase the spread on social networks, encouraging people to proactively participate in sharing messages about preventing the harmful effects of tobacco.

Using digital platforms for propaganda not only keeps up with modern media trends, but also creates conditions for each citizen to become an "ambassador" to spread positive lifestyles, contributing to raising social awareness about the harmful effects of traditional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products and the risks of passive smoking.

In the context of the increasing rate of young people using new tobacco, innovating entertaining and visual forms of communication such as dance is extremely necessary to reach this target group.

The vibrant, youthful dances will inspire positivity, create a widespread ripple effect, contribute to changing behavior, and move towards a healthy, smoke-free society.

The 2025 competition continues to affirm the role of women in protecting family and community health. With the strength of ingenuity, creativity and community spirit, local women's association members have expressed many unique ideas, from familiar folk dances adapted to modern movements with a youthful and dynamic spirit.

The works not only convey messages against the harmful effects of tobacco, but also encourage physical activity, improve health and build a healthy lifestyle.

Through the contest, the Organizing Committee hopes to continue promoting the mass cultural and sports movement, creating a useful and healthy playground for women and the community.

This is also an opportunity to recognize and honor the initiatives and effective communication models of the Association at all levels in implementing the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, towards the goal of building a smoke-free living environment for a sustainable development future./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/le-phat-dong-giai-bao-chi-toan-quoc-ve-binh-dang-gioi-lan-thu-ii-post1079376.vnp