Award-winning Work: Jinju, Where the Light of a Thousand Years Flows
The Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival Korea Lantern Competition Awards Ceremony, hosted by Jinju City, Gyeongnam, and organized by the Jinju Culture and Tourism Foundation and the Lantern Competition Organizing Committee, was held on the 15th at the Jinju Namgang Lantern Exhibition Hall.
The awards ceremony was attended by Mayor Jo Gyu-il, Kim Dong-gwi, head of the Lantern Competition Organizing Committee, and others. A total of nine prizes, including the Grand Prize, Excellence Prize, Merit Prize, and Special Prize, were awarded to works selected through fair evaluation by experts from various fields.
The prestigious Grand Prize was awarded to Ra Yunmi for "Jinju, Where the Light of a Thousand Years Flows." The Excellence Prize went to Kim San for "Spirit of Defense - Long Shield," while the Merit Prizes were given to Jang Jaewoo for "The Road to Jinju Fortress," Jung Wook for "Gleam of Jinju," and Yoo Geumyong for "Nongae and Namgang."
In particular, the Grand Prize-winning piece, "Jinju, Where the Light of a Thousand Years Flows," vividly expressed the theme of this year's competition, "Jinju Great Victory - The Flow of Light." Using Jinju Fortress and Namgang, which symbolize the Jinju Great Victory, as the background, the work portrayed lanterns flowing along the river and Jinju City's symbolic bird, the egret, with vibrant colors using traditional Hanji paper, showcasing the thematic depth and artistry of lantern art.
The 22 entries submitted to the competition were exhibited at the Jinju Namgang Lantern Exhibition Hall from October 5 to 20. The nine award-winning works, including one Grand Prize, one Excellence Prize, three Merit Prizes, and four Special Prizes, are displayed alongside previous award-winning pieces from the Lantern Competition in a dedicated exhibition space.
Mayor Jo Gyu-il stated, "The Korea Lantern Competition is a core program of the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival, where you can experience the unique and beautiful works of craft artists. These high-quality and original pieces, which reinterpret Jinju's long history and traditional culture through the creative perspectives of artists, further enhance the brilliance of the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival."
Meanwhile, Jinju City and the Jinju Culture and Tourism Foundation have raised the artistic standard of the Jinju Namgang Yudeung Festival's lantern works by exhibiting diverse and innovative creations submitted through this competition during the festival period. They plan to continue promoting the competition so that more outstanding works by artists can be enjoyed by both citizens and visitors in the future.
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