The award, organised annually by Nhan Dan Newspaper in coordination with VCCorp, has spent the past three years identifying and promoting outstanding community initiatives. The 2026 edition seeks to go beyond recognising existing achievements by connecting people, initiatives and social resources to create greater impact.
Speaking at the launch, Member of the Party Central Committee (PCC), Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan Newspaper, Deputy Head of the PCC Commission for Information and Education, and Chairman of the Viet Nam Journalists’ Association Le Quoc Minh, who also chairs the award’s organising committee, said community harmony meant different parties working towards a shared goal while contributing their respective strengths. He noted that increasingly complex social challenges could rarely be addressed effectively through isolated efforts.
The 2026 award introduces several new categories, including the Lifetime Contribution Award, Community Action Leader and Community Collaboration Project. The Human Act Now initiative has also been developed as a long-term ecosystem to connect resources and nurture young people capable of turning ideas into action.
A key project announced at the launch will support the national “500-day-and-night campaign” to accelerate the search, recovery and identification of fallen soldiers’ remains. With the military playing the central role, Human Act Prize will help mobilise businesses, experts, organisations and communities in Viet Nam and abroad to contribute technology, equipment and other resources.
According to Colonel Do Nguyen Hoai of the Da Nang Military Command, more than 13,000 eligible remains samples have been collected for DNA identification after 90 days of work. However, around 12,000 of nearly 26,000 unidentified graves in the locality still lack suitable samples, highlighting the need for additional identification methods.
Under Human Act Now, the programme will organise university and high-school tours at 50 schools and company tours at 15 businesses and factories in 2026-2027, helping young people gain practical experience and build networks for social impact.
The Human Act Prize 2026 will close registrations on November 15, with the final judging scheduled for December 2 and the awards gala on December 20.
