In celebration of the International Women's Day on March 8 and the 50th anniversary since diplomatic relations were established between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Federal Republic of Germany on September 23 in 1975, the German Embassy invites Vietnamese girls and young women aged 16 to 26 to participate in a special writing competition.

This competition is more than just an opportunity to showcase writing skills. It is meant to serve as a platform to empower and encourage the next generation of female leaders. Significant progress has been made in advancing women's rights and equality in the last years. Nevertheless, women remain underrepresented in many leadership positions across various sectors globally. This gap highlights the need to further encourage and support young women to make full use of their potential and to follow their personal aspirations.

We are convinced that witnessing firsthand the dynamic work of a successful female leader can be a powerful source of inspiration. Therefore, we call for applications by creative young Vietnamese girls and women who are curious and would like to be

Ambassador for a day!

The winner will have the privilege of spending a day with our Ambassador, Ms. Helga Margarete Barth, in March. She will be able to accompany the Ambassador to her meetings and participate in internal meetings, thereby gaining firsthand insights into the characteristics of a workday of a female leader.

We are convinced that this unique opportunity will enrich and inspire the winner and hope that it will also encourage the participants to pursue their dreams and visions by showcasing that committing to a professional perspective is worth it and can be achieved with vision, passion and determination.

The writing prompt is:

We encourage participants to explore this topic with creativity, critical thinking, and a forward-looking perspective. Consider the various facets of the Vietnamese-German relationship – i.e. aspects of cultural exchange, areas for economic cooperation, opportunities for educational partnerships, political chances and challenges and more. The essay should propose innovative ideas for how cooperation in these issue areas can be improved and further enhanced.

We look forward to your submission and the chance to benefit from your perspective and the diverse ideas of young Vietnamese women. Please submit your entry by February 28 via email to kultbot@gmail.com.

The three winners will be selected by a jury and will be notified in early March 2025.

Good luck!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• This competition is open to Vietnamese girls and young women between the age of 16and 26 years.

• The applicant must be permanently residing in Vietnam.

• The texts must be written in English or German, independently and may not be submitted to any other competition.

• The text must be sent as a PDF file to kultbot@gmail.comand should not exceed the length of 1000 words.

• Please include your first name, surname, date of birth and exact address with telephone number in the Email or letter.

• If you are still attending school/university/college, please state the name of the school/university/college.

• Plagiarism will not be accepted; please take note of the information on „Copyright and transfer of rights of use“ below

• Please note, that the German Embassy cannot cover transportation costs.

• Submission deadline: February 28, 2025

PRIZES