Launching the contest Plastic Talk

Phát động cuộc thi “Plastic Talk - Khi nhựa lên Tiếng”

1. Background

Vietnam's rapid economic growth, urbanization, and changing lifestyles have led to a national plastic pollution crisis. Over the past two decades, per capita plastic consumption in Vietnam has risen significantly—from 3.8 kg/person in 1990 to 33 kg/person in 2010, 41 kg/person in 2015 (MONRE, 2020), and reaching 81 kg/person by 2019 (IUCN-EA-QUANTIS, 2020). An estimated 72% of that plastic becomes waste—around 58 kg per person annually.

According to GreenHub’s 2021 survey under a World Bank project conducted in 10 coastal provinces, 93.6% of environmental litter is plastic. The ten most commonly leaked items include: soft plastic fragments (from broken-down plastic bags), fishing gear (ropes, net fragments, lures, fishing lines, hard plastic floats), foam floats and boxes, plastic bags (0–5 kg capacity), foam food containers, rigid plastic pieces, plastic straws, instant noodle and snack packaging, candy wrappers, and other plastics (e.g., diapers).

In response, the For Vietnamese Stature Foundation (VSF) and GreenHub co-launched the competition “Plastic Talk – When Plastics Speak” to promote creative, impactful communications that raise awareness and engage the community. The initiative is supported by Mắt Xanh – Youth for Environment.

2. Purpose & Eligibility

Objectives:

Discover powerful and creative communications products that effectively convey messages on plastic waste reduction. Winning entries will be used in non-profit environmental campaigns promoting sustainability.
Raise awareness among youth and the wider community about reducing plastic waste and encourage small, meaningful actions for environmental protection.
Spark creativity and passion among young people in producing media under the theme “Plastic Talk – When Plastics Speak.”

Eligibility:

Open to all Vietnamese citizens aged 16–30.

3. Entry Formats

Participants may enter individually or in teams of up to 3 members, and may submit multiple entries.

Accepted formats:

Short films, documentaries, motion graphics: Max. 3 minutes; high-resolution, Full HD; good audio/video quality (Vietnamese voiceover and English subtitles encouraged).
Comics, illustrations, posters, photography:
- Digital: PDF/JPG/JPEG/PNG, min. 2MB, min. 2000×3000 pixels, 300 dpi.
- Handmade: Presented on A1-size paper.
Podcasts: Max. 20 minutes, MP3/WAV/WMA format, in Vietnamese, with minimal background noise.