Writer Tran Duc Tien wins "Cricket Knight" Prize 2023

It is the first time after a two-year absence that the organising board has found the winner of the grand prize of the "De Men Award for Children".

Speaking at the event, General Director of the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Vu Viet Trang said that the Award, which was held by VNA’s The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports & Culture) Newspaper, has gone through three editions, contributing to nurturing the spiritual lives of children and young talents in literature and arts.

The collection of works for children by writer Tien, including "A lô!... Cậu đấy à?" (Hello! Is that you?) and 10 other books have made him eligible for the esteemed award.

These works include "Ốc mượn hồn" (Soul-Borrowing Snail, 1992); "Vương quốc vắng nụ cười" (The Kingdom Without Smiles, 1993); "Dế mùa Thu" (Autumn Cricket, 1997); "Thằng Cúp" (Little Cúp, 2001); "Làm mèo" (Being a Cat, 2003, reprinted in 2015 and 2023); "Trăng vùi trong cỏ" (Moon Buried in the Grass, 2006); "Chiếc lông ngỗng trời" (The Feather of the Sky Goose, 2011); "Những truyện hay viết cho thiếu nhi của Trần Đức Tiến" (Great Stories Written for Children by Tran Duc Tien, 2013); "Trên đôi cánh chuồn chuồn" (On Dragonfly Wings, 2015, reprinted in 2020); and "Xóm Bờ Giậu" (The Riverside Village, 2019, reprinted in 2020, 2021, and 2022).

Four winners of the "Khát vọng Dế Mèn" (Cricket Desire) Prize were also named, including a collection of paintings by 11-year-old Hoang Nhat Quang from Lang Son province; "Ông Ba Bị và những đứa trẻ trong mơ" (Mr. Ba Bi and the Children in Dreams, a long story by Lac An; "Ở một nơi có rất nhiều rồng" (In a Place with Many Dragons, a draft of a long story by Moc An; and "Vua ngan xóm hồ" (The King of the Duckweed Village, a draft of a long story by writer Uong Trieu.

Two special prizes from the jury were awarded to the works "Nghé ọ Hai Xoáy" (Nghé and the Two Hair Whorls), a long story by Pham Anh Xuan, "Tôi, bố tôi, và…" (I, My Dad, and...), "Từ những bức thư" (From the Letters) by 10-year-old Doan Lu Thuy Phuong.

This year, the organising board received 121 entries, and 10 were selected for the final round.

As scheduled, The Thao & Van Hoa Newspaper plans to hold the first solo exhibition for the young painter Hoang Nhat Quang on June 8. Quang and his family want to contribute to the "For the School of Children" charity programme launched by the newspaper, in case any of his artworks are sold.

The programme was launched on April 14, 2022, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the newspaper’s first publication (August 21), aiming to connect artists, philanthropists, and the education sector in local communities to improve infrastructure of schools in remote and disadvantaged areas. So far, it has raised 600 million VND (26,000 USD).