"Composing with Crickets" contest - an interesting and useful playground for children

On March 30, in Hanoi, with the consent of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations, Literature and Arts Times in collaboration with Digital Knowledge Media Corporation (TTS) and CinePlus organized a press meeting to launch the contest "Composing with Crickets".

By encouraging children to write short stories based on the character De Men, the contest hopes to promote the literary and artistic creation ability of young people, help them develop their linguistic thinking and creative ability, participate in the process of inheriting and renewing national literature; thereby discovering and nurturing young talents in the field of literature and art, contributing to creating a generation of young authors and writers in Vietnam.

Representative of the Organizing Committee shares information about the contest. (Photo: Organizing Committee)

Speaking at the launch, writer and journalist Hoang Du, Editor-in-Chief of the Literature and Arts Times and Head of the Organizing Committee of the Contest, said that one of the special features of the contest lies in the central image: De Men. This is not only a literary character, but also a symbol associated with many generations of Vietnamese people.

Since 1941, when the work "The Adventures of Men the Cricket" by writer To Hoai was first published, this character has always been vivid in the minds of readers, especially children.

According to writer and journalist Hoang Du, organizing the "Composing with Crickets" Contest is not only appropriate, but also very necessary in the current context - when a playground for children's literary creation is still lacking.

“I believe that with an imaginative character like De Men, children will have the opportunity to maximize their imagination. They can observe the life around them, tell stories through the pure, innocent but also very profound lens of children.

If organized systematically, seriously and maintained annually, we can fully expect the emergence of a generation of young writers - those who truly mature from this playground", the Editor-in-Chief of Literature and Arts Times expressed.

Writer and journalist Hoang Du, Editor-in-Chief of Literature and Arts Times, Head of the Organizing Committee of the contest, speaks. (Photo: BTC)

The “Composing with Crickets” contest is for children from 6 to 16 years old nationwide, divided into two main groups: 6-11 years old (primary school) and 12-16 years old (middle school and high school). Contestants can participate as individuals or in groups (schools, clubs, etc.), with no limit on the number of entries.

In terms of content, entries can explore a variety of topics, such as: Cricket's adventurous journey associated with imaginary stories about the insect world, the challenging journey of discovery of Cricket and his friends; lessons about friendship and courage associated with stories that promote friendship, help, companionship and the spirit of overcoming difficulties...

Through the lens of the character De Men, children can reflect on familiar issues such as the living environment, social changes, and moral lessons; at the same time, they can develop new versions of the character, bringing De Men into the modern world with new and more interesting stories...

The organizers encourage contestants to demonstrate unique storytelling, humane works, ensure creativity and express their own views.

Mr. Vu Duy Nam, representative of CinePlus, spoke. (Photo: Organizing Committee)

Regarding the form of the work, contestants can demonstrate their talent through short stories (1,000 - 2,000 words), or comics (stories with illustrations drawn by the contestant himself or in collaboration with friends).

Another special highlight is that the excellent works of the contest will be selected by the Organizing Committee to be turned into animated films. Mr. Vu Duy Nam, representative of CinePlus said: For a long time, most of the books and films that children have access to often have content made by adults. With "Creating with Crickets", the Organizing Committee wants to find stories created by children themselves from their own perspective, about the life around them.

“We are also aware that translating children’s limitless imagination into the language of animation is a big challenge. When adults create, they are often bound by stereotypes, laws, prejudices, etc., but children are the opposite – they have a very rich and free imagination. We will try to maintain that spirit when bringing it to the screen, turning it into attractive films that are still true to the world of children,” Mr. Vu Duy Nam emphasized.

Mr. Nam also said that the production unit has a plan to coordinate with students from the University of Information Technology and Communications - Thai Nguyen University to create animated works, creating a creative ecosystem with great potential and sustainability.

People's Artist Vuong Duy Bien, Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations, speaks. (Photo: Organizing Committee)

Sharing at the press conference, People's Artist Vuong Duy Bien, Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations, Chairman of the Contest's Jury, expressed his hope that the "Composing with Crickets" Contest will be a place for many young talents to shine, sending their first works with innocence, creativity and the desire to express themselves.

He believes that every generation has talents that are formed early and need to be promptly discovered, invested in, and nurtured. “We expect the contest to bring positive results, not only in literary works, but also in developing them into quality animated films. I think this is a very new approach – to expand the source of creative materials, create many new scenarios and build animated characters that are imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity. Those characters, if successful, can live forever with many generations – becoming the new “stars” of Vietnamese animated films,” said People’s Artist Vuong Duy Bien.

The Organizing Committee of the Contest "Composing with Crickets" accepts entries from April 1, 2025 to December 1, 2025.

In addition to the monthly first prize, the Organizing Committee will select the best works of the Contest to award annual prizes, including: 01 First prize; 02 Second prizes; 03 Third prizes; 05 Encouragement prizes; 05 Consolation prizes.

The Competition Award Ceremony is expected to be held in mid-December 2025.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/cuoc-thi-sang-tac-cung-de-san-choi-thu-vi-bo-ich-danh-cho-cac-em-nho-post868807.html