Wando-gun Successfully Hosts the 1st Marine Bio Creative Competition

The Nation's First Startup Idea Competition Featuring Seaweed-Based Concepts

Winners of the Excellence Award at the 1st Wando Marine Bio Creative Competition are taking a commemorative photo. ⓒ Asia Economy

[Wando＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil] Jeonnam Wando-gun (Governor Shin Woo-cheol) announced on the 6th that it held the final round of the ‘1st Wando Marine Bio Creative Competition’ at Chosun University Marine Biology Research and Education Center on the 3rd.

The ‘Wando Marine Bio Creative Competition,’ the first in Korea to focus on seaweed as a material, was organized to discover and support promising items in the marine bio field, establish a growth foundation for the marine bio industry, and encourage startup participation.

Prospective entrepreneurs and students from across the country competed by choosing one of five major fields related to seaweed: marine bio food, medicine, chemistry, energy, research and development, and services.

A total of 28 teams applied, and 10 teams selected through the first round of document screening advanced to the finals, which were conducted through PPT presentation evaluations.

The final round was judged by six evaluators, including Lee Sook-young, Deputy Director of the Chosun University Marine Biology Research and Education Center, professors from related departments, and startup institution experts, based on criteria such as business plan suitability, feasibility, and contribution to the local community.

As a result, the grand prize was awarded to the ‘Marine Healing Bakery’ team (Kim Ita) for ‘Bakery using seaweed grown by the sea and made by a master,’ receiving the Jeollanam-do Governor’s Commendation and prize money.

Grand prize winner Kim Ita said, “I am pleased to have achieved good results by applying seaweed to bakery products, which are easily accessible even in the marine bio food field,” and added, “I hope that various items will be discovered in the future so that our county’s marine bio industry can develop through this competition.”

The excellence awards went to the ‘Badapumae’ team (Jung Hee-jin) for ‘Manufacturing organic agricultural materials using seaweed by-products’ and Osunduk for ‘Abalone seaweed sausage,’ each receiving the Jeollanam-do Governor’s Commendation and prize money. Other awarded items included pet food, color cosmetics, carbon reduction feed additives, and seaweed stem soy milk.

Evaluation committee chair Lee Sook-young said in the final review, “Many teams participated and demonstrated their capabilities, and rankings can change depending on the evaluation perspective, so all participating teams are winners,” adding, “Don’t be obsessed with rankings, and I hope the participating items will be commercialized within a few years.”

Wando-gun plans to provide excellent winners with priority residency rights in the marine bio joint cooperative research institute and startup center, which will be completed next year, offering talented individuals a good research environment.

Governor Shin Woo-cheol said, “It is very meaningful to hold the first marine bio creative competition in Korea focusing on seaweed in Wando, the largest seaweed production area,” and added, “We expect this competition to raise interest in seaweed and contribute to the revitalization of the marine bio industry.”

Meanwhile, although six teams from Wando Fisheries High School failed to advance to the finals, excellent teams were given the opportunity to present in the final round, which also helped boost the morale of local students.

Wando＝Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Kyung-pil ckp6737@asiae.co.kr