Gwangju University National Web Novel Contest, Kim Hangyu from Daeseong High School Wins Grand Prize

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] At the 3rd National High School Student Web Novel Contest hosted by Gwangju University, the grand prize was awarded to Kim Hangyu, a student at Daeseong High School, for his work "How to Survive as a Jeomsoi in the Martial Arts World."

Gwangju University (President Kim Dongjin) announced the winners and held an awards ceremony on the 16th at the Administration Building's Smart Lecture Room for the "3rd National High School Student Web Novel Contest," which was held to nurture talent in web novel genre literature.

This contest, the first of its kind in Korea targeting high school students nationwide aspiring to become web novel and genre literature writers, accepted submissions without genre restrictions from September to November last year, including fantasy, romance, martial arts, and science fiction.

The grand prize winner was Kim Hangyu from Daeseong High School with his work "How to Survive as a Jeomsoi in the Martial Arts World."

The runner-up awards went to No Youngwoon of Shinil High School for "A Heavenly Celestial Horse Fell from the Sky" and Bu Girim of Daegu Girls' High School for "The Crazy Princess Has Nothing to Fear."

The second runner-up awards were given to Shin Dongmin of Dongcheon High School for "I Became an Academy Martial Artist" and Jeong Hyunju of Anyang Arts High School for "Who is Arjendis?"

The grand prize winner receives the Gwangju University President's Award and a scholarship of 2 million KRW, while the two runners-up each receive a scholarship of 1 million KRW and a plaque, and the two second runners-up each receive a scholarship of 500,000 KRW and a plaque.

Notably, if the awardees enroll in Gwangju University's Department of Creative Writing, scholarships will be provided for two years (one year for runners-up and second runners-up), and the winning students may sign a writer contract with Kidari Studio Co., Ltd. after separate consultations.

Kim Hangyu said, "I have liked web novels such as martial arts and fantasy since long ago. I prefer writing in a unique way rather than ordinarily, and this work was created with as much challenge as possible. I plan to enter the Department of Creative Writing or Korean Language and Literature to help with my web novel career."

President Kim Dongjin stated, "The Department of Creative Writing aims to provide a broad stage for students aspiring to become web novel and genre literature writers. We are the first in the nation to hold a high school student web novel contest. We support the growth of the winning students by providing scholarships upon admission, opportunities to sign contracts with publishers, and chances to serialize works on leading domestic platforms."

Meanwhile, since 2015, Gwangju University's Department of Creative Writing, which declared specialization in web novels and genre literature for the first time in Korea, has established related courses as regular curriculum and supports students through small group creative workshops and seminars to challenge platform serialization and contests.

Starting with the high school student web novel contest, the department has achieved success in producing famous student writers through a writer discovery and development program that continues with platform serialization and capacity-building education for enrolled students.