Gwangju University Announces Winners of Korea's First 'High School Student Web Novel Contest'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Gwan-woo] Gwangju University announced on the 22nd the winners of the ‘40th Anniversary of the University Founding, High School Student Web Novel Contest.’

This contest, the first of its kind in Korea targeting high school students, awarded the grand prize to Yu Yumin from Changhyeon High School in Suwon for the work titled ‘Editor Authority Proxy.’

‘Editor Authority Proxy’ is a work in which the protagonist is possessed as an extra and provides meaningful hints related to the social situations faced by today’s younger generation.

The judges commented that Yu Yumin’s ‘Editor Authority Proxy’ was written at a professional level regarding the trends and styles of web novels and faithfully adhered to the basic requirements of web novels, such as the transformation of clich?s.

They also noted that the synopsis was efficiently written to clearly present the novel’s setting, development, and characters at a glance, and the serialized parts were skillfully composed with concise and captivating sentences that aroused curiosity for the next installment.

The runners-up were awarded to Woo Ah-young for ‘Lifetime Contract, Termination’ and Kim Na-young for ‘Family Maker.’ The third place went to Libitina (Damn Return) and Park Seung-bin (Soul Game).

The grand prize winner receives a prize of 1 million won, the Gwangju University President’s Award, and scholarship benefits upon admission to Gwangju University. The two runners-up each receive a scholarship of 700,000 won and a plaque, and the two third-place winners each receive a scholarship of 500,000 won and a plaque.

In particular, if the awardees enroll in Gwangju University’s Creative Writing Department, scholarships will be provided for two years (one year for runners-up and third place), and support will be given for publishing books and opportunities to serialize web novels based on the winning works.

Lee Ki-ho, head of the Creative Writing Department at Gwangju University, said, “Gwangju University is a four-year university that does not separate pure literature and genre literature but actively encourages all contemporary stories and narratives. Through this contest, we aim to widely promote the educational philosophy of the Creative Writing Department at Gwangju University and create a broad stage where students aspiring to be web novel and genre literature writers can realize their dreams.”

Meanwhile, this contest, held jointly by Gwangju University, Newspaper Co., Ltd., and SangSang Publishing, attracted attention with over 30 web novels in various genres such as fantasy, romance, martial arts, and SF, filled with the fresh ideas and imagination of young aspiring writers.