Award Ceremony of the First Comic Writing Contest

NDO - The winning works of the first Comic Creation Contest were officially introduced to readers at the Contest's award ceremony, jointly organized by the French Institute in Vietnam and Kim Dong Publishing House.

The program was attended by Ms. Rachida Dati, French Minister of Culture.

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 entries were 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.

The jury includes prestigious French and Vietnamese authors such as Clément Baloup, Maxime Péroz, Ta Huy Long and Nguyen Thanh Phong.

Author Cao Hoang Anh Thu received Second Prize.

Speaking at the award ceremony, French Minister of Culture Rachida Dati said that the French Publishing Support Program - with the aim of encouraging the transfer of copyright and publication of French works abroad - has contributed to bringing more than 500 works by French authors to Vietnamese readers since 1990. The fields translated and published are very diverse: from literature books, novels, social sciences and humanities, science and technology, children's books, to cultural and artistic books.

The French Minister of Culture shared that over the past three years, the French Institute has supported many projects to promote the dissemination of French books in Vietnam, accompanying a rapidly developing sector. In 2024 and 2025, the focus is on the field of comics, with the aim of building a comics industry in Vietnam, through the mobilization of expertise and experience from the French side.

Author Tran Thao Nguyen was awarded Third Prize.

The competition is a highlight of the Regional Project on Cultural and Creative Industries, the program “Comics in Vietnam and Cambodia: Mobilizing French expertise and experience” together with the France - Creativity Team Fund (with a total budget of 135,000 euros, equivalent to 4 billion VND).

In addition to the Comic Creation Competition, the project also organizes meetings between French and Vietnamese publishers; supports young Vietnamese talents and helps them develop their creativity; creates conditions for French and Vietnamese translators to exchange expertise and experience...

The work "Essay on Balut Eggs" by author Tran Khac Khoan was awarded First Prize, a trip to the Angoulême Comics Festival, France.

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 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 to the group of authors, Nguyen Hai Nam and Do Dinh Cuong, with the work "Bug/ Finding Evergreen".

On this occasion, Kim Dong Publishing House also released 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.

Following the success of the competition, the second Comic Creation Competition (2025) is currently accepting entries until the end of June 2025. The competition 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://nhandan.vn/trao-giai-cuoc-thi-sang-tac-truyen-tranh-lan-thu-nhat-post882855.html