Awarding the comic writing contest for 5 excellent works

On May 27, in Hanoi , the French Institute in Vietnam and Kim Dong Publishing House organized the award ceremony of the first Comic Creation Competition (2024). The program was attended by French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati.

Awarding the first prize winner and launching the book "Essay on Balut Eggs". Photo: French Institute 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, selected 5 outstanding works to award prizes.

The work “Essay on Balut Eggs” by author Tran Khac Khoan was awarded the first prize, a trip to the Angoulême Comics Festival (France) in January 2025. This is an extremely valuable opportunity for Vietnamese artists to exchange and learn from the experiences of the world's leading comic book creators.

Second prize awarded to the author of the work "Red Pencil". Photo: French Institute in Vietnam

Second Prize was awarded to author Cao Hoang Anh Thu (born in 1999, Ho Chi Minh City) with the work “Red Pencil”. Third Prize went to author Tran Thao Nguyen (born in 1996, Ho Chi Minh City) with the work “Lockdown in a foreign land”. Two Encouragement Prizes were awarded to two groups of authors Ngo Thi Ngoc Anh and Vuong Nhien Khang with the work “Book Rental Shop” and the group of authors Nguyen Hai Nam and 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 "new breeze" to the domestic comic market.

Awarding the third prize winner. Photo: French Institute in Vietnam

With the support of the French Institute in Vietnam, Kim Dong Publishing House has published award-winning works and introduced them to a wide range of readers.

“Essay on Balut Eggs” - the first prize winning work, tells the story of a boy’s mother selling balut eggs, which had a strong impact on an artist, reviving memories of his father. The book is printed in Vietnamese and French in a unique two-way reversal. According to artist Ta Huy Long, the work is highly appreciated thanks to “the professional way of expressing the narrative, the way of developing the theme, the rhythm of the story”.

“Red Pencil, Foreign Lockdown & Comic Rental Shop” introduces three stories from three authors and 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 boys and girls of the 8X and 9X generations.

The second Comic Creation Contest (2025) 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.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/trao-giai-cuoc-thi-sang-tac-truyen-tranh-cho-5-tac-pham-xuat-sac-703718.html