At the awards ceremony, the outstanding women featured in stories shared their experiences and how they overcome obstacles to raise their voices in society. — Photo Diageo

HCM CITY — Diageo Viet Nam Limited and the Viet Nam Journalists Association have given awards to 14 outstanding media works featured in the contest "The Women's Empowerment Journalism Awards".

Organised by the two groups, the contest honours Viet Nam's press and works that highlight women or the challenges related to Vietnamese women.

Pham Quoc Toan, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Journalists Association, said that, although the contest lasted only two months, it had attracted 182 press entries, including 146 written articles, 16 photo stories and 20 video clips and television works, featuring the refreshing views of Vietnamese women who dare to overcome their destiny, grasp opportunities and make great efforts in study, work and life.

The winning works included written stories; photo essays and single photos; and video clips from many publications and television channels nation-wide.

"Building awareness of women's empowerment is the first step towards inspiring change and we are strongly committed to having a positive impact on local communities by highlighting the role of women in society," said Stephane Gripon, general manager of Diageo Viet Nam.

"Sustainable growth can only be achieved if there is equality for women and men. However, women everywhere still face gender-related constraints that limit their productivity. Empowering women can create a ripple effect that has the potential to have a positive impact on families, communities, villages and even nations," he added.

"It is time to unleash the full potential of women so that they can take their proper place, achieving a fair and equitable position."

At the awards ceremony, the outstanding women featured in stories shared their experiences and how they overcome obstacles to raise their voices in society.

The contest is a part of the company's community campaign titled "Plan W – Empowering Women Through Learning".

It committed US$10 million for the activities in Asia Pacific, with nearly VND16 billion ($800,000) of that amount used to help Vietnamese women raise their voices in society and to enhance Viet Nam's gender equality in the 2013-17 period.

Source: Diageo