Launching the 'Composing with Crickets' contest for children nationwide

Speaking at the press conference, journalist Hoang Du - Editor-in-Chief of Literature and Arts Times, Head of the contest's Organizing Committee said: "In the era of rapidly developing digital technology, children read less and write less and participate less in traditional literary and artistic activities. Instead, they passively receive information through screens, which significantly narrows their creative thinking in language.

In addition, Vietnamese children's literature today still has a serious shortage of works that accurately reflect the lives, thoughts and feelings of children themselves. That is the reason why the "Composing with Crickets" contest was born - to give back the "right to tell stories" to children, and open up a rare opportunity for their short stories, comics or storytelling videos to become real cinematic products. Inspired by the classic character De Men in De Men's Adventures by writer To Hoai, the contest is not only a creative activity but also a journey to continue the Vietnamese literary heritage through modern storytelling."

Journalist Hoang Du, Editor-in-Chief of Literature and Arts Times, Head of the Organizing Committee spoke at the press conference.

"De Men is not only a literary character but also a cultural symbol. I believe that with an imaginative image like De Men, children will have the opportunity to maximize their imagination. They can observe the life around them, tell stories through the innocent, naive but also very profound lens of children. From there, the contest not only contributes to arousing the love of literature but also creates conditions to discover and nurture young writers with great potential" - Journalist Hoang Du emphasized.

According to journalist Hoang Du, the interesting point of the contest is that contestants can create based on the character system from the animated film "De Men: Adventure to the Swamp" - a modern adaptation of the original work by To Hoai, produced by Cineplus, scheduled to be released on May 30, 2025, on the occasion of International Children's Day.

The characters are renewed with vivid shapes, close to today's children - promising to be a source of inspiration for them to write stories that are social, emotional, creative and profound. In particular, the most unique point of the contest lies in the ability to transform the children's works into professional animations.

Organizing Committee members answer questions from the media and press.

At the press conference, People's Artist Vuong Duy Bien - Head of the contest's jury emphasized: "Every generation has early talents. But if they are not discovered, invested in and nurtured in time, it will be a waste. I believe this contest will be a place for young writers, future storytellers to speak for the first time."

People's Artist Vuong Duy Bien believes that this is a completely new approach, helping children truly become creative subjects, instead of being passive recipients. "We need to trust in children's imagination - it is an endless source of inspiration. I think this is a very new approach - to expand the source of creative materials, create many new scenarios and build cartoon characters with strong Vietnamese cultural identity. Those characters, if successful, can live forever with many generations - becoming the new "stars" of Vietnamese cartoons", People's Artist Vuong Duy Bien added.

Therefore, the "Writing with Crickets" contest is not only a place for children to write, but also a "launch pad" for creative dreams to fly far - from the page to the screen.

Press conference scene.

The "Sang cho De" contest is for children from 6 to 16 years old nationwide, divided into two age groups: 6-11 years old (primary school) and 12-16 years old (middle school - high school). Contestants can participate as individuals or in groups (schools, clubs...), with no limit on the number of submissions. Entries can be in many forms: short stories (1,000-2,000 words), comics (comics, manga, webtoons under 20 pages) or storytelling videos/recordings (under 15 minutes, posted on YouTube).

Each month's outstanding works will be selected to be turned into short animated films and released on the official fanpage of the film De Men. At the end of the year, the Organizing Committee will compile the monthly winning works to present the final prize with many attractive prizes. The entries are evaluated according to 5 criteria: creativity, artistic value, educational and humanistic significance, ability to be turned into a film and level of community interaction.

Vietnamese Chinese

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phat-dong-cuoc-thi-sang-tac-cung-de-danh-cho-tre-nho-tren-toan-quoc-post340723.html