1. Background & Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to adapt to a "new normal," but its negative impacts remain deeply felt across all aspects of life. These challenges have worsened existing social inequalities, especially for vulnerable groups in the areas of healthcare, education, and employment.
While economic recovery policies are prioritized, social welfare issues have often been overlooked. In response, the SonTa Foundation launched the “Community Innovation Challenge: Solutions to Address Inequalities in Healthcare, Education, and Employment in Post-COVID Vietnam.” The goals of the competition were to:
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Raise awareness of the long-term effects of the pandemic
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Inspire community-driven solutions
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Create opportunities to turn practical ideas into reality
2. About the Competition
This competition was designed as a platform for innovative ideas that address the growing inequalities made worse by COVID-19.
How to participate:
Contestants submitted a proposal (under 1,000 words, in Vietnamese, PDF format) outlining their initiative.
Each submission needed to include:
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A description of a post-COVID-19 inequality-related issue
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An analysis of the causes and consequences of the problem
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A detailed solution: methodology, implementation steps, and estimated budget
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A future vision of the initiative was to be successfully implemented
Bonus:
Illustrative images or a 30–90 second video were encouraged to strengthen the proposal.
Competition Process:
The contest had two rounds:
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Screening Round: Proposals were evaluated based on four criteria—feasibility, creativity, clarity, and potential for impact.
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Pitch Round: Selected participants presented and defended their ideas through an online interview or recorded video.
Judging Panel:
The jury included respected development consultants and subject-matter experts.
3. Key Results
Among dozens of high-quality submissions from across Vietnam, the judging panel selected the top 3 outstanding initiatives, which were awarded:
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First Prize: 10,000,000 VND
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Second Prize: 5,000,000 VND
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Third Prize: 2,000,000 VND
In addition to the top prizes, all proposals that passed the first round were featured in the SonTa Foundation’s online publication to promote their value and attract community support for implementation.
Explore full competition details—including rules, jury profiles, winning entries, and photos in the