“Happy Vietnam” is a Media Award on Human Rights in Vietnam organized annually by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. This is a popular Award for authors, both professional and non-professional, Vietnamese and foreigners, at home or abroad, can participate.

In 2025, the Award will be held for the third time, launched on a nationwide scale to attract participation from numerous authors across the country.

To ensure the Award is organized in a serious, transparent, fair, and objective manner, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announces the Award Regulations as follows:

I. OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS

1. Purpose

- To discover and celebrate meaningful moments and stories from all aspects of Vietnam's political , economic, cultural, and social life through photographic and video works submitted by domestic and international authors, aiming to vividly affirm Vietnam's achievements in the field of human rights.

- Mobilize the combined strength of all segments of the population at home, the Vietnamese community abroad, and international friends in the communication and promotion of the image of Vietnam and its people to the world, affirming to the world that Vietnam is a peaceful, beautiful, dynamically developing, and happy country.

2. Requirements

- Submitted works must comply with legal requirements, including copyright infringement and other applicable legal regulations.

- Contest entries must have high promotional value, meet the criteria of artistic quality, from content to form of expression must not violate Vietnamese customs and laws.

- Encourage the application of modern information and communication technologies to create a positive communication effect on the public.

3. Providing and using personal information
When registering for the competition, participants must provide complete and accurate personal information in the Account Management section, including: full name, email address, phone number, Citizen ID card number, residential address, etc. The Organizing Committee has the right to collect and use this information for the purpose of contacting, verifying identity, and for organizational and communication purposes within the Happy Vietnam competition. All personal information of participants will be kept confidential by the Organizing Committee and will not be used for any purpose outside the scope of the competition.

II. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

- Eligibility: Vietnamese citizens and foreigners aged 15 and above.

Members of the Organizing Committee, the Judging Panel, the Secretariat, and the Communications Committee are not allowed to participate in the competition.

III. CATEGORIES OF ENTRIES

The awards consist of two categories: photos and videos.

IV. CRITERIA FOR SUBMITTED WORKS

1. General criteria regarding content

- To introduce and promote the image of Vietnam, its people, cultural values, and natural beauty throughout the country; to awaken national pride and aspirations for development in all segments of the population, so as to work together to build a more prosperous, thriving, and happy Vietnam.

- To truthfully and vividly reflect the achievements in all aspects of Vietnam's political, economic, cultural, and social life, especially in the process of reform, development, and international integration.

- To transmit valuable knowledge, attract strong public interest, and have a wide-ranging impact both domestically and internationally.

- It does not violate the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's laws and regulations, or the Award's rules; it is in accordance with the customs, traditions, and cultural heritage of the nation.

2. Criteria for the photo category

- Contest photos must be single photos or photo sets in digital format, photo files must be in jpg format. The shortest dimension must be at least 3,000 pixels.

- Each author may submit an unlimited number of entries (both single photos and photo sets). The author's name will be as it appears on their national identity card or passport.

+ Single photo: Each photo is a work of art.

+ Photo series: Each photo series is considered a work of art, consisting of a minimum of 5 photos and a maximum of 10 photos. The Organizing Committee encourages photo series to include a layout and a brief introduction to the series' content (maximum 150 words). The author must number the photo series sequentially.

+ In cases where the author submits both single photos and photo sets, the single photos must not be duplicates of photos in the photo sets.

- Photos must not have borders and must not display information such as names, watermarks, or place names…

- Photographic works must be created using realistic methods; cropped, manipulated, or altered images that distort reality are not accepted (except for panoramic photographs).

3. Criteria for the video category

- Submitted videos must be in digital format, specifically MP4 files. Video quality must be at least Full HD or higher. Each video should be no longer than 5 minutes and the file size must not exceed 500MB.

- Each author may submit an unlimited number of entries. The author's name or the name of the group of authors should be taken from the name on their citizen identification card or passport.

- Submitted videos can be in the following genres: news reports, documentaries, short videos, skits, etc., and can be recorded using any device that supports video recording.

- The content and storyline are clear and consistent with the award's message and theme. The video is an original media product, copyrighted by the author, and not copied from any source without permission regarding image, sound, and dialogue copyright.

- The individuals appearing in the video must have the consent of the person or their guardian.

4. Time of composition

- The artwork must have been created between January 1, 2023, and the date of submission.

- Submitted photographs must not have previously won awards or been selected for exhibition at regional, national, or international awards organized or co-organized by the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists.

5. Copyright

- The author is legally responsible for the copyright of the submitted work.

- The Organizing Committee is not responsible for copyright and related rights disputes. The Organizing Committee will revoke the award if any copyright or related rights infringement is discovered, in accordance with the law.

- If necessary, the Organizing Committee will request the author to submit the original file for verification of the information.

- The Award Organizing Committee is permitted to use the submitted works free of charge for the purpose of promoting the Award and publicizing the image of Vietnam without paying any fees.

V. PRIZE STRUCTURE

Each contest category (photo and video) has the following prizes and prize values:

- 1st Prize: 50,000,000 VND

- 02 Second Prizes: 30,000,000 VND

- 3 Third Prizes: 15,000,000 VND

- 10 Consolation Prizes: 5,000,000 VND

- 1 prize for the most voted-for work: 5,000,000 VND

The Organizing Committee encourages and will award one creative prize in each category (photo and video) worth VND 20,000,000 to works with new and creative ideas in terms of content and form of expression.

In addition, the Organizing Committee will award monthly prizes, including first, second, and third prizes, to the works with the highest number of votes in each category each month.

The prize structure may change based on the quality of entries in each category. In addition, the Organizing Committee will award certificates of merit to the authors who win First, Second, and Third Prizes, as well as to the localities with the most entries; the localities with the most First Prize winners, etc.

Authors who win First, Second, Third, and Honorable Mention prizes in the photography category will have points awarded for titles and participation in the annual Outstanding Photography Award; winning works and those selected for exhibition will be considered for creative support according to the regulations of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists. For authors who are not yet members of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists, each winning or selected work will have points awarded when considering membership according to the Association's regulations.

Award-winning authors will be invited by the Organizing Committee to attend the live broadcast of the awards ceremony on Vietnam Television.

The Organizing Committee will deduct personal income tax in accordance with current regulations.

VI. DIRECTING AGENCY, ORGANIZING COMMITTEE, IMPLEMENTING UNIT, JUDGING PANEL, SECRETARIAT, COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

1. Steering Body

- Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism;

- Vietnam Television;

- Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists.

2. Organizing Committee

2.1. The Annual Award Organizing Committee, established by the leadership of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is responsible for organizing the Award in accordance with current procedures and regulations.

2.2. The functions and responsibilities of the Organizing Committee are determined by the leadership of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

2.3. The Organizing Committee consists of:

- Leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism: Head of the Committee;

- Head of the Department of Grassroots Information and External Information, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism: Deputy Head of the Standing Committee;

- Leader of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists: Deputy Head of the Committee;

- Representative of Vietnam Television: Deputy Head of the Committee;

- Representative of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front: Member;

- Representative of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union: Member;

- Representative of the Department of Information and Foreign Affairs, Central Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission: Member;

- Representative of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Security: Member;

- Representative of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Member;

- Leaders of the Department of Fine Arts, Photography and Exhibition, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism: Member;

- Head of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism: Member;

- Head of the Press Department, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism: Member;

- Head of the Center for Press and International Media Cooperation, Department of Grassroots Information and External Information: Member;

- Heads of relevant departments under the Bureau of Grassroots Information and External Information: Members;

- Heads of relevant departments within the Center for Press and International Media Cooperation: Members.

3. Implementing unit

The implementing unit: The Department of Grassroots Information and External Information (Center for Press and International Media Cooperation) has the following responsibilities:

- Coordinate with relevant units to assist the Organizing Committee in implementing, widely publicizing, and guiding the implementation of the Award Regulations.

- Serving as the central point for receiving competition entries.

- Mobilize legitimate funding sources from organizations and individuals to support the award selection process and the award ceremony.

- Responsible for facilities and human resources serving the organization of the Award.

4. The Judging Panel

The judging panel is established by the Organizing Committee.

The Judging Panel consists of the Preliminary Round Judging Panel and the Final Round Judging Panel, operating according to the Rules of Procedure approved by the Organizing Committee.

5. Secretariat

The Secretariat is established by the Organizing Committee based on the proposal of the organizing unit.

The Secretariat is responsible for assisting the Organizing Committee and the Judging Panel in carrying out their respective functions and duties.

6. Communications Department

The Communications Committee is established by the Organizing Committee based on a proposal from the implementing unit.

The Communications Committee is responsible for assisting the Organizing Committee in carrying out communication and promotional activities for the Award.

VII. JUDGING REGULATIONS

Step 1: Preliminary Round

Based on the collected works submitted by the authors, the Preliminary Round Judging Panel will select the works that meet the criteria in Section IV of the Award Regulations.

Step 2: Final Round

The works that reach the final round will be judged and selected by the Final Round Judging Panel, and the results will be submitted to the Organizing Committee for consideration and signing of the award decision.

VIII. RESOLUTION OF COMPLAINTS, DENUNCIATIONS AND HANDLING OF VIOLATIONS

1. Relevant organizations and individuals have the right to appeal the results of the Award. Appeals must clearly state the full name, address, and reason for the appeal and be sent to the Organizing Unit. The Organizing Unit is responsible for reviewing and responding to the appeal, and reporting the results to the Organizing Committee. Anonymous appeals, appeals without a clear address, or appeals made under false identities will not be considered.

2. The Organizing Committee will revoke the award and notify the relevant authorities to handle the matter in accordance with the law in the following cases:

- Submitted works that violate the Press Law, Publishing Law, Copyright Law, Intellectual Property Law, relevant State legal regulations, and the Rules of this Award.

- The submitted works are the result of exploiting the award to commit illegal acts.

- The revocation of the award will be announced publicly in the media.

- If you are a member of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists: The Organizing Committee will cancel all your submitted works and you will not be considered for titles, outstanding awards, or creative support in 2025.

- If you are not yet a member of the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists: The Organizing Committee will cancel all submitted works and will not consider you for membership if you meet the membership requirements in 2025.

IX. METHODS OF RECEIVING COMPETITION ENTRIES

Authors and groups of authors submit their entries at: https://happy.vietnam.vn/ .