Guidelines announced for ASEAN Eco-Schools Viet Nam Award 2026

In recent years, the eco-school model has been increasingly implemented across Viet Nam, making an important contribution to educating students about environmental and natural resource protection while promoting green and sustainable lifestyles, particularly amid growing concerns over plastic pollution.

Building on the success of the 2024-2025 editions, the ASEAN Eco-Schools Viet Nam Award 2026 has been redesigned to broaden its focus from “Plastic-Free Schools” to creating green, safe and resource-efficient learning environments. The 2026 awards will focus on three main categories: Green School; Plastic Waste Reduction School; and Safe and Water-Efficient School.

Rules and selection criteria

Le Cong Thanh, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment and Head of the Organizing Committee for the ASEAN Eco-Schools Viet Nam Awards, has signed Decision No. 01/QĐ-BTC promulgating the rules and selection criteria for the awards.

Accordingly, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary schools nationwide are eligible to register for the ASEAN Eco-Schools Viet Nam Award 2026. For schools offering multiple levels of education, applications must clearly specify the level for which the school is entering the competition.

Please review the rules and assessment criteria for the ASEAN Eco-Schools Viet Nam Award 2026 here.

Applications must be submitted online via the Ecoschool.vn website by October 31, 2026. Each school may submit only 1 application, which must cover all three themes and identify one strongest theme.

The application must include a General Registration Form of no more than 2,000 words, in PDF format and endorsed by the school. Supporting documents for each theme should be organized into separate folders, including plans, regulations, or commitments in PDF format.

Actions, education, outcomes, outreach, and community engagement should be supported by a maximum of 10 actual photos for each category. Each photo must include a clear caption, be compiled into a Word document, and saved in DOC or PDF format.

Supporting photos must be in color and in JPG, PNG, HEIC, or TIF format, with a resolution of at least 72 dpi. The Organizing Committee requires that photos must not be cropped or composited, generated or altered using AI, or edited in any way that distorts the actual situation.

3 Themes, 300 Points

The total score is 300 points, equally divided among three themes, with a maximum of 100 points per theme. Each theme consists of five criteria, with a maximum of 20 points per criterion.

Theme 1: Green School

+ Develop plans to build and maintain green spaces and promote energy efficiency.

+ Develop green spaces and landscapes, and apply technologies such as AI and IoT.

+ Provide students with education and professional training on green schools.

+ Monitor results, sustain activities, and promote their wider adoption.

+ Engage and connect with the local community.

Theme 2: Reducing Plastic Waste

+ Develop plans and regulations to limit single-use plastic products and non-biodegradable plastic bags.

+ Sort waste at source, use reusable products, and apply technology.

+ Integrate education on the harmful impacts of plastic waste into lessons and extracurricular activities.

+ Organize waste collection and recycling, and connect with businesses and parents.

+ Encourage the community to reduce the use of single-use plastics.

Theme 3: Safe and efficient water use

+ Develop regulations and plans for safe and water-efficient use.

+ Monitor water quality and implement water reuse, rainwater harvesting, and water-saving technologies.

+ Integrate education on water resource protection and personal hygiene.

+ Monitor water-saving indicators and usage results, and promote successful models.

+ Work with the community to raise awareness of water conservation.

Award Criteria

ASEAN Eco-Schools Viet Nam Award 2026: One school from each education level will receive the award, with a prize of VND 30 million. The winning school must achieve the highest total score across all three themes, with a score of more than 210/300 points and at least 50 points in each theme.

Theme-based Awards: Each education level will have a First, Second, and Third Prize, worth VND 15 million, VND 10 million, and VND 5 million, respectively. The First Prize will be awarded to the school with the highest score in its registered theme, achieving at least 60/100 points, with no criterion scoring below 10 points, and at least 30 points in each of the other two themes. The Second and Third Prizes will go to the schools with the next-highest scores.

Innovation Award: Each education level will have three Innovation Awards, each worth VND 3 million, recognizing schools with innovative models or approaches, applications of technology or digital transformation, or outstanding activities in remote, disadvantaged, border, and island areas. Schools that have already won the First, Second, or Third Prize, or the ASEAN Eco-Schools Viet Nam Award, will not be eligible for the Innovation Award.

This year's competition features a total of 66 awards, six more than last year, with total prize money of up to VND 567 million.

$ 1 = VND 26,270 - Source: Vietcombank.