17 works honored with the ‘Life’s Gifts’ awards.

After going through more than 700,000 entries from over 500,000 authors across the country and abroad, the 17 most outstanding short stories were selected and awarded in the 2011 “Life’s Gifts” Contest. The awards included two Second Prizes, three Third Prizes, nine Consolation Prizes, and three Friendly Prizes. Notably, the contest had no First Prize.

Notably, the contest received strong support from participants of all ages. According to the organizers, there were entries from children whose handwriting was still clumsy and hard to read, as well as moving handwritten submissions from elderly participants—all reflecting sincerity and depth. Some authors submitted a remarkably large number of works, such as Nguyễn Thị Bình (Hanoi) with 99 entries, or Võ Mạnh Thành (Nghe An) and Nguyễn Thị Mai (Hanoi) with more than 30 entries each.

Most of the submissions were simple yet vivid stories from everyday life. Especially noteworthy were entries sent from abroad, such as those by Ngô Minh Hồng, whose poetic writing vividly depicted the natural beauty of the United States. This demonstrated the powerful reach and resonance of the program.

Mrs. Đỗ Thị Thanh Hương, Director of Sunrise Media, the co-organizer of the contest together with Vietnam Television (VTV) and GPBank, shared: “After the contest, the award-winning works will be adapted into films to be broadcast in the program ‘Life’s Gifts.’ At the same time, these films will be submitted to both domestic and international film festivals. In addition, the high-quality award-winning works will be published in a book titled ‘Life’s Gifts,’ available in bookstores nationwide. We will maintain the ‘Life’s Gifts’ Short Story Writing Contest as an annual event, making it a prestigious and valuable award in the field of creative arts in Vietnam.”

The “Life’s Gifts” program is broadcast at 10:10 p.m. on VTV3 (Vietnam Television). In this school year, the Hanoi Department of Education has also officially piloted the use of “Life’s Gifts” films in the moral education curriculum, helping lessons become more lively, relatable, easier to understand, and easier to remember. Reportedly, after Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other major cities will also implement this plan.

Reporter: Xuân Trung