'Essay on Balut' won First Prize in Vietnam-France Comic Contest

The contest is not only an opportunity for comic authors and artists to show their talents, but also contributes to building the comic creation community and developing this art book genre in Vietnam.

The comic won First Prize in the Comic Creation Contest organized by the French Institute in Vietnam and Kim Dong Publishing House.

With the work “Essay on Balut Eggs,” author Tran Khac Khoan (born in 1990, Lam Dong province) won First Prize in the Comic Writing Contest jointly organized by the French Institute in Vietnam and Kim Dong Publishing House.

According to information from the French Institute on December 10, this young artist will represent Vietnamese comic book authors to attend the Angoulême Comics Festival, the largest cultural and artistic event for comics in France in early 2025.

This is an extremely valuable opportunity for Vietnamese authors to exchange and learn experiences from the world's leading comic creators.

After more than 5 months of excitement, the contest has attracted the attention of many authors and comic artists across the country, with more than 100 valid entries sent to the Organizing Committee.

The entries are 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.

After two rounds of judging, Preliminary and Final, the Jury, consisting of prestigious artists from France and Vietnam (Ta Huy Long, Nguyen Thanh Phong, Clément Baloup and Maxime Péroz), found the best works, worthy of awards.

Some images from the work "Red Pencil."

In addition to the First Prize awarded to author Tran Khac Khoan, the Second Prize was awarded to author Cao Hoang Anh Thu (born in 1999, Ho Chi Minh City) with the work "Red Pencil."

Third Prize went to author Tran Thao Nguyen (born 1996, Ho Chi Minh City) with the work "Lockdown in a foreign land."

Two Encouragement Prizes went to the group of authors Ngo Thi Ngoc Anh and Vuong Nhien Khang with the work “The Story Rental Shop” and the group of authors Nguyen Hai Nam and Do Dinh Cuong with the work “Bug/ Finding Evergreen.”

According to artist Ta Huy Long, the entries have many different styles of expression, demonstrating the young people's interest in surrounding social issues.

The jury highly appreciated works that clearly expressed individual creative style.

With a professional way of expressing in the way of telling, the way of developing the topic, the rhythm of the story, the First Prize winning work “ Essay about balut eggs” was highly appreciated by the Jury. The work is close to current life, making readers see the thoughts of today’s youth. Not only that, even adults can see themselves in it.

“The selection of works took place nationwide, so the level of competition was very high. The candidates all demonstrated mastery of drawing techniques and storytelling ability. Their serious and elaborate investment is admirable,” shared artist Clément Baloup.

According to the French judge, the most outstanding thing about the award-winning works is the profound artistic message and creative approach, fully exploiting the potential that comic art brings.

“Vietnamese comic artists have a special artistic sensitivity, they just need to be given the opportunity to express themselves more freely and at the same time expand their readership to adults. This will help comics be recognized as an independent art form, also known as the ninth art,” said artist Clément Baloup./.