Voting to decide the winners of the 2015 Dedication Music Awards was launched by the Vietnam News Agency’s Sport and Culture newspaper (The Thao & Van Hoa daily) on March 31 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The annual awards celebrate the innovative efforts of the country’s most imaginative musicians. Nominees are chosen by cultural journalists based on their creativity and practical contribution to public music.

On March 6, the newspaper announced the nominations for the awards across seven categories. Numerous young artists are in with a shot of winning prizes, including Thao Trang, Nguyen Tran Trung Quan and Nguyen Dinh Thanh Tam.

“Noi Dao Xa” and “To Quoc Goi Ten Minh”, both nominees for Song of the Year, have received particular attention from the public. The latter was the most-performed song in 2014, and inspired patriotism among the Vietnamese people following rising tensions in the East Sea.

The 10 th Dedication Awards, initiated in 2005 by the Sport and Culture daily newspaper, are scheduled to take place in Ho Chi Minh City on April 6.-VNA