On August 12, the Ministry of Industry and Trade held the awards ceremony for the 2026 Political Essay Contest on Safeguarding the Party’s Ideological Foundation in the Industry and Trade Sector. The contest was organized by the Party Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, with the Commission for Information and Education of the Ministry’s Party Committee and the Industry and Trade Newspaper responsible for its implementation.

The 2026 Political Essay Contest on Safeguarding the Party’s Ideological Foundation in the Industry and Trade Sector was launched under Plan No.39-KH/ĐUB dated April 21, 2026, of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

After three editions, the contest has increasingly affirmed both its quality and its influence throughout the industry and trade sector. A number of high-quality works have been widely disseminated across the sector, while several entries have also gone on to win major prizes at the central-level contest.

In 2026, the Organizing Panel of the contest received nearly 500 entries. After the Secretariat of the contest reviewed and classified the submissions in accordance with the contest’s rules, format requirements, categories and other criteria, 359 works were selected for the preliminary round.

The Preliminary Judging Council then selected 50 outstanding works for the final round. From these 50 finalists, the Final Judging Council and the Organizing Panel, chaired by Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan, met on August 7 to review and evaluate the entries on the principles of objectivity, scientific rigor, fairness, accuracy, transparency and responsibility.

Following the review process, the Final Judging Council and the Organizing Panel agreed on a list of 28 outstanding works and articles to receive awards.

The contest has genuine appeal and the judging was rigorous

At the awards ceremony for the 2026 Political Essay Contest on Safeguarding the Party’s Ideological Foundation in the Industry and Trade Sector, Nguyen Van Minh, member of the Executive Board of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Editor-in-Chief of the Industry and Trade Newspaper and Deputy Head of the contest’s Organizing Panel, emphasized that nearly 500 entries had been submitted within just over one month of the contest’s launch.

“Behind that figure are nearly 500 occasions when people working in the industry and trade sector sat down in front of a blank page, after a shift at a power plant, after a market inspection trip, or after a day of negotiations. Some entries were sent from Nghe An, others from Quang Ngai. Some were written by associate professors and doctors. Some were jointly prepared by an entire Party cell,” Nguyen Van Minh said.

“From nearly 500 entries, the Secretariat reviewed and selected 359 for the preliminary round. The Preliminary Judging Council independently evaluated them over 25 days and selected 50 works. The Final Judging Council then conducted another five days of independent judging. On August 7, the Organizing Panel agreed to award 28 prizes, along with 15 certificates of merit for collectives and individuals. Selecting 28 winning works from nearly 500 entries says two things: the contest has genuine appeal, and the judging councils worked extremely rigorously,” Nguyen Van Minh emphasized.

The “fronts” for safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation

Nguyen Van Minh said the most encouraging aspect of this year’s contest was not the number of entries. This year, the works did not stop at general theoretical discussions, but closely followed the everyday work of the industry and trade sector, including energy security, industrial self-reliance, trade remedies, consumer protection and digital transformation.

“The First Prize-winning work discusses safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation through practical effectiveness, viewed through the implementation of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW in the industry and trade sector. This year’s Special Prize, meanwhile, went to a video work. The ideological front has expanded into cyberspace, where if we do not speak, others will speak on our behalf,” Nguyen Van Minh said.

According to the Editor-in-Chief, there are still people who believe that safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation is the responsibility of information and education agencies or the press. This year’s contest offered a different answer. An engineer who keeps the power grid operating without disruption on the hottest day of the year is safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation. An official who eliminates an unreasonable administrative procedure for businesses is safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation. A negotiator who secures a provision beneficial to the country is safeguarding the Party’s ideological foundation.

This is because distorted narratives are defeated not only through counterarguments. They are also defeated by undeniable realities and by every Party organization and Party member performing their duties well.

“More than 600 years ago, Nguyen Trai wrote in the Binh Ngo Dai Cao: ‘Use great righteousness to overcome cruelty, and benevolence to replace violence.’ The great cause of the industry and trade sector today is ensuring sufficient electricity, the smooth circulation of goods, a healthy market and growing businesses. Protecting these things means preserving the people’s trust. And when the people’s trust is secure, no distorted narrative can undermine it,” Nguyen Van Minh emphasized.

Lai Xuan Lam, Deputy Secretary of the Government Party Committee and Standing Deputy Head of Steering Committee 35 of the Government Party Committee, far left, and Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, present the Special Prize of the 2026 Political Essay Contest on Safeguarding the Party’s Ideological Foundation in the Industry and Trade Sector to the team of authors from the Industry and Trade Newspaper.

On behalf of the Organizing Panel, Nguyen Van Minh expressed his sincere appreciation to the Preliminary Judging Council, the Final Judging Council and the Secretariat for their impartial and responsible work over more than one month.

In particular, the Editor-in-Chief of the Industry and Trade Newspaper thanked the nearly 500 authors who had taken part in the contest, including those whose names were not on the list of award recipients. Their works, he said, still represented important voices on this ideological front and contributed to the overall reach and significance of the contest.