Hankom Group Announces Winners of the 2nd Hankom Literary Award... Grand Prize Goes to "The Funeral of Words"
TECHWORLD ·
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Hankom Group announced the final winners of the "2026 2nd Hankom Literary Award" on the 21st.
The grand prize went to Seong Baek-gwang's free verse work "The Funeral of Words," and the winner will receive KRW 30 million and a plaque.
The youth and high school divisions were newly established this year, and seven people became first-time winners with one gold prize, one silver prize, and five bronze prizes.
Hankom Group announced the final winners of the "2026 2nd Hankom Literary Award" on the 21st.
The contest was hosted by the Hankom Literary Award Steering Committee and organized by the Korean Poetry and Literature Association, with support from Hankom Group and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The submission deadline was September 30.
Entries were open to the general and college student divisions, as well as the youth and high school divisions, and the contest categories were free verse, essays, and short stories. A total of more than 7,700 works were submitted. This year, the youth and high school divisions were newly established to discover future literary talent, and their share of entries stood at 6.13%.
As a result of judging, Seong Baek-gwang's free verse work "The Funeral of Words" was selected for the grand prize. The grand prize winner will receive KRW 30 million and a plaque. The excellence awards went to Gyu Yeong-in's essay "It Felt Like My Younger Brother Was Being Taken from the World" and Park Hyeon-ju's short story "Please Let Me Tell You Something."
Encouragement prizes went to Son Byeong-geol's free verse poem "Excision" and Kim Geun-tae's "Ladder," both in the free verse category, Park Jong-hui's essay "The Time When Cabbage Turns Color," and Yoon Seong-cheol's short story "Canceled Seat."
In the youth and high school divisions, one gold prize, one silver prize, and five bronze prizes were selected, making seven people first-time winners in total. The gold prize went to Min Hee-joo's free verse poem "Automatic Doors Do Not Know Hesitation," while the silver prize went to Park Yun-chae's essay "Guitar." The bronze prize winners were Kang Il-gwon's "Coming Home," Park I-sol's "Roommate 911," Baek Ri-a's "When the Time Comes," Kim Ga-in's "Cliche," and Kwon Hyo-min's "Fin de Siècle Blues."
Judging was conducted in a blind format, with only the works evaluated and the authors' ages and publication histories kept undisclosed. The steering committee explained that many of the submissions addressed social realities. The main themes of the entries were said to include care and alienation, isolation in the digital age, and loss and healing.
Kim Seol-ong, head judge, said that in an era when artificial intelligence can generate sentences, the value of writing drawn from real-life experience and reflection becomes greater. He explained that fairness was emphasized in order to select works with new discoveries, deep reflection, and precise and beautiful Korean expression.
A Hankom Group official said the significance of gathering more than 7,700 literary works in an age filled with short and fast content was found in the enduring passion for recording the world in one's own language.
The official added that Hankom Group hopes the youth and high school winners will grow into new voices in Korean literature. The awards ceremony will be held on November 7 at Chungrium, Hankom Group's facility in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, and all winning works will be officially published as the "Hankom Literary Award Winners' Collection."
Source: TECHWORLD · Kim Seung-gi
Original: https://www.epnc.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=408521
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Source: TECHWORLD
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