The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced substantial prize money for its “Happy Vietnam 2025” award, an annual human rights media contest, with the grand prize reaching 50 million VND (over 1,900 USD).

Now in its third year, the award seeks to uncover and honour meaningful moments and stories that reflect the diverse political, economic, cultural, and social life of the country. Through photographs and videos submitted by both amateur and professional creators, Vietnamese or foreign, aged 15 and above, the contest showcases the human rights achievements that Vietnam has carved out, while promoting the images of a peaceful, beautiful, dynamic and happy nation on the global stage.

All entries will undergo a rigorous selection process based on clear and transparent criteria, with the judging panel comprising leading journalists, respected artists, and photography and film experts. Submissions will be reviewed in pre-screening and final rounds.

For the photography category, entries must be single photos or photo series in digital jpg format with a minimum shortest side of 3,000 pixels. Each author may submit unlimited works, including both single photos and photo series.

Photo series comprise a minimum of five and a maximum of ten images. They should be clearly numbered and include a layout and a short description of up to 150 words.

In the video category, submissions must be in digital mp4 format with a minimum resolution of Full HD. Each video must not exceed five minutes in length or 500MB in file size. Contestants are free to use any video recording device, from professional cameras to smartphones.

All entries must have been created between January 1, 2023, and the submission deadline. Works must not have previously won or been exhibited at regional, national, or international events organised or co-organised by the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists. Authors must be responsible for the copyright status of their submissions.

Detailed submission guidelines and the official contest rules are available at https://happy.vietnam.vn.

Each category offers one first prize (50 million VND or over 1,900 USD), two second prizes (30 million VND each), three third prizes (15 million VND each), and ten consolation prizes (5 million VND each)./.