Issues relating to environmental and ecological changes were the subject of the Vietnam Press Cartoon contest, launched nationwide on Nov. 3.

This was the third time the biennial contest had been held, and it had become a much anticipated event, said Truong Le Kim Hoa, director of the organising board.

"Protecting the environment is an urgent problem facing both our country and the world," she said. "Through their drawings, cartoonists will help raise public awareness of the environment."

The contest is open to amateur and professional cartoonists living in Vietnam.

The candidates have been asked to submit entries that reflect global environmental issues, highlight activities that have negative ecological impacts, and send a message that influences people's behaviour in a positive way.

Entries should have been printed in domestic media between 2010-11, and sent to the co-organiser, The Thao&Van Hoa (Sports&Culture) newspaper, 33 Le Thanh Tong Street, Hanoi, before January 31.

The awards ceremony and an exhibition of the entries have been scheduled to take place in Hanoi on April 1.

The contest was jointly organised by the Vietnam News Agency and the Vietnam Journalists' Association. This year, it has received sponsorship from Ford Vietnam and Denmark's Cultural Development and Exchange Fund./.