'Gachon Drawing Contest' Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Great Success

Held on the 15th at Gunsan Eunpa Lake Park Mulbit Bridge Plaza

First event, celebrating the 1st anniversary of 'Gachon Igil Library' in 2015

A family festival enjoyed by children from toddlers to high school students for 10 years

The nationwide "10th Gachon Drawing Contest" was held successfully on the 15th at the Mulbit Bridge Plaza in Eunpa Lake Park, Gunsan-si, Jeonbuk, aiming to develop the artistic sensibility and stimulate the imagination of children and adolescents.

Marking its 10th anniversary this year, the contest has been held annually since 2015 to commemorate the establishment and donation of the largest-scale "Gachon Lee Gil-yeo Library" in Korea to Daeya Elementary School in Gunsan-si, the alma mater of Gachon University President Lee Gil-yeo, who is from Gunsan. Hosted by the Gachon Foundation (Founder Lee Gil-yeo) and supported by Jeonbuk Province, Jeonbuk Office of Education, Gunsan City, Gunsan City Council, and Gunsan Office of Education, about 10,000 students and families participated.

The theme of this year’s contest was "Beautiful Republic of Korea," announced at the opening ceremony. Participating students began to capture the images in their minds on the canvas according to the theme. They decorated and filled the blank canvases colorfully with pencil sketches, paint, and colored pencils.

The 10th Gacheon Drawing Contest held on the 15th at Mulbit Bridge Square in Eunpa Lake Park, Gunsan-si, Jeonbuk.
[Photo by Gunsan-si]

Students participating in the contest arrived early, from toddlers to high school students, took their seats, and busily prepared without missing anything. They showed carefulness by filling water containers, neatly arranging colors on palettes, and contemplating the day’s contest theme.

The Gachon Cultural Foundation, which hosted the contest, provided souvenirs to all participating students that day. Various experience booths such as magic shows, fab art crafts, and face painting were also prepared, offering unique enjoyment.

The event was attended by Jeonbuk Provincial Assembly Chairperson Guk Ju-yeong-eun, Jeonbuk Office of Education Superintendent Seo Geo-seok, Gunsan Mayor Kang Im-jun, Gunsan City Council Chairperson Kim Young-il, National Assembly members Shin Young-dae and Lee Won-taek, Gunsan Education Director Kim Wang-gyu, Gachon Cultural Foundation Chairman Yoon Seong-tae, and Gil Medical Foundation Medical Director Lee Tae-hoon. They personally handed out canvases and encouraged the participating students.

Mayor Kang Im-jun of Gunsan said, "The Gachon Drawing Contest is a children’s festival that Gunsan is proud of, supporting the precious dreams of children for 10 years. We will continue to support so that children do not lose their bright smiles and hopes for the next 10 and 100 years."

Meanwhile, contest winners will be selected through strict judging, divided into categories of toddlers, elementary, middle, and high school students, awarding Grand Prize, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Honorable Mentions to about 400 participants. The announcement will be made between September and October. Winners will receive various awards including the Jeonbuk Governor’s Award, Jeonbuk Office of Education Superintendent’s Award, Gunsan Mayor’s Award, Gunsan City Council Chairperson’s Award, Gunsan Education Director’s Award, Gachon Foundation Chairman’s Award, Gachon Cultural Foundation Director’s Award, as well as certificates, collections of works, and prizes provided by the Gachon Cultural Foundation.

Yoon Seong-tae, Chairman of the Gachon Cultural Foundation, said, "The Gachon Drawing Contest, celebrating its 10th year, has established itself as the best children’s drawing contest nationwide beyond Jeonbuk. The goal of this contest is to support our children in nurturing their dreams and creating happy memories, just like today," he shared his thoughts.