Nowon-gu 'eSports Festival' Held...Total Prize Money 10 Million

A Mid-Summer eSports Festival to Heat Up the Season, Filled with Diverse Programs for Families
Applications Open Until August 8, Online Qualifiers on August 10-11
Total Prize of 10 Million KRW, Finals on August 17 at SeoulTech Gymnasium, Live Broadcast on 'Nowon-gu Mihongssi' YouTube Channel

Nowon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will hold the "Nowon eSports Festival: I am No. 1" at the Seoul National University of Science and Technology Gymnasium on August 17.

eSports, also known as electronic sports, is a field gaining attention as a new pillar of youth and adolescent culture. Its recent growth has been remarkable, especially after being adopted as an official event at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games.

As social interest in eSports increases, the district plans to create a festival combining various attractions and participatory events, making it a place of harmony for the whole family to enjoy together.

The competition will be divided into a national tournament and a Nowon-gu student tournament. After online preliminaries, the final matches will be held on the day of the festival. Anyone who enjoys eSports can participate, except for professional eSports players and students enrolled in professional gamer departments. Applications can be submitted on the WARA.GG website until August 8.

There are three competition categories in total. The national tournament includes League of Legends (LOL) and FC Online, while the Nowon-gu student tournament features Valorant. The total prize money is 10 million KRW, and winners of the student tournament will receive the Nowon-gu Mayor's Award.

Special programs are also prepared. The professional gaming team T1A ROOKIES will be invited to hold an event match against the national League of Legends tournament winning team, and matches of the official eSports league "Overwatch Champions Series Korea (OWCS Korea)" will also be held.

Additionally, on-site registration programs will include mini tournaments for KartRider and StarCraft, providing opportunities for parents and children to participate together and cheer for each other. This aims to foster empathy and harmony across generations.

Moreover, the T1 academy booth, a popular team in the eSports field, will offer eSports education and career counseling. Various contents and events such as a game OST orchestra performance, drone and robot experiences, retro arcade, invited game character cosplay teams, and a stamp mission at experience booths will also be available.

On the festival day, August 17, live coverage of the final matches can be watched on the "Nowon-gu Office Mihongssi" YouTube channel. The broadcast will be enlivened by League of Legends streamer Untara (Park Ui-jin) and game content creator Jjoseonsaeng (Park Seong-hoon).

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, "This festival will be a celebration where even those unfamiliar with eSports can experience it without burden and enjoy various contents with family and friends. We will provide pioneering and full support to expand the base of eSports as a wholesome leisure activity that all residents can enjoy."