The competition is targeting architecture students, requiring all applicants to submit designs for their ideal green kindergarten by May 10. — Photos designs.vn

HA NOI (VNS) — The Green Kindergarten Design competition was launched yesterday to raise awareness about energy efficiency and green buildings in Viet Nam, while training the country's future architects and planners to adhere to sustainable building standards.

This exciting event is aimed at collecting ideas on how to turn a traditional and over-crowded kindergarten into an energy efficient and green infrastructure for preschoolers in the city's My Dinh District.

The competition is targeting architecture students, requiring all applicants to submit designs for their ideal green kindergarten by May 10.

The winner will receive a cash prize of VND20 million (US$940), and four runners-up will receive VND5 million ($235) each.

The top ten applications will also be awarded certificates from the University of Applied Sciences Stuttgart (Hft Stuggart), one of the leading architecture schools in Germany.

"We hope the competition will introduce the field of green building on a comprehensive level," said Johannes Schwegler, executive director of Fairventures Worldwide, a German non-profit project and consulting organisation.

"It will help future Vietnamese architects and construction engineers to learn that green building first and foremost creates a healthy environment and quality of life then can be very economically feasible," he added.

Application forms, competition guidelines and awards information are available at www. http://e4g.org/e4g-award.

This initiative is being supported by the E4G Project, an awareness-raising campaign run by Fairventures Worldwide with technical contributions from the National University of Civil Engineering, Hft Stuggart and Elithis Asia. — VNS