Winners of ‘De Men’ (Cricket) Awards for Children announced

Vietnam News Agency’s The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports & Culture) Newspaper hosted a ceremony on June 1 to announce the winners of the second ‘De Men’ (Cricket) Awards for Children.

Writer Binh Ca (middle) receives the ‘Cricket Desire’ for his novel ‘Di Tron’ (Seeking shelter). (Photo: VNA)
Writer Binh Ca (middle) receives the ‘Cricket Desire’ for his novel ‘Di Tron’ (Seeking shelter). (Photo: VNA)

The ceremony was held without a live audience due to the complicated developments of COVID-19.

Since there was no winner in the ‘Cricket Knight’ prize, the organising board presented five ‘Cricket Desire’ prizes instead of four.

The five winning entries, which stood out among all works for children over the past year, were recognised in the three categories of literature, the fine arts and film.

They included ‘Di Tron’ (Seeking shelter), a novel by writer Binh Ca; ‘Khuc Go Muc’ (A rotten log), a cartoon by People’s Artist Nguyen Thi Phuong Hoa; a series of paintings on nature and life by Xeo Chu, alias Pho Van An; ‘Ly & Chun - Tet La Nhat, Nhat La Tet” (Ly & Chun - Tet holiday is the best), a comic book by Meo Moc, alias Dang Quang Dung; and a series of stories ‘Khac Biet Moi Tuyet Lam Sao” (How wonderful is difference) by Nguyen Hoang Vu and colleagues.

This year marked the first time a cartoon was honoured, proving that made-in-Vietnam productions have won the appreciation from both audience and judges.

Launched in late March 2021, the De Men Awards this year received nearly 120 entries, with 20 of them being selected to proceed to the final round.

This year’s jury included poet Tran Dang Khoa, Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese Writers’ Association; poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnamese Writers’ Association; painters Thanh Chuong, Nguyen Thuy Kha and Le Linh; and journalist Le Xuan Thanh, Editor-in-chief of The Thao & Van Hoa Newspaper.