Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hosts Media Education Event with Total Prize of 100 Million Won for 'Media Criticism and Literacy Improvement'

Over 30 News Diary Entries Contest: 56 Million KRW in Prizes
Environmental Fact-Check Report Contest: 34 Million KRW in Prizes

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 14th that, together with the Korea Press Foundation, it will hold media education events, the "6th News Reading News Diary" and the "7th Youth Checkathon Competition," to promote critical thinking and literacy about media.

"News Reading News Diary" is a media education contest that naturally enhances literacy and discernment of news by reading news and organizing thoughts in diary format. It began on the 7th. Anyone from children to adults can participate by reading various news articles (excluding gossip articles), downloading the diary from the official contest website, writing more than 30 news diary entries, and submitting them online by July 31.

In this contest, a total of 77 winners will be selected in individual categories for children, youth, and adults, as well as an outstanding instructor category, awarding a total prize of 56 million KRW. In particular, to encourage youth participation in reading and writing news, the top three schools with the most diary submissions will receive snacks worth a total of 5 million KRW, along with various other events. Detailed information on participation methods and contest guidelines can be found on the official website.

The "Youth Checkathon Competition" is an event to expand awareness of media capabilities and cultivate critical thinking about false and manipulated information among students. Checkathon is a compound word of "fact-check" and "marathon," referring to the process of verifying facts in various information and content, writing a report on the verification process, and sharing it. This year, the competition is held under the theme "Green Fact Checker ? Eyes on the Environment," with "environment" as the core keyword.

Teams of 2 to 4 members, from elementary to university students, can participate by registering on the official competition website by May 22. Participants collect and analyze information about the "environment," verify its accuracy, and then create and share reports and content detailing the process and results. Winners will be decided through preliminary rounds (May 23 to July 13) and finals (July 26 to September 21), with a total prize pool of 34 million KRW. The grand prize team will receive the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award and 3 million KRW. Detailed information on participation methods and schedules is available on the official competition website.

The award ceremonies for the "News Reading News Diary" and the "Youth Checkathon Competition" will be held on November 15 during the special media education week, "2025 ME:LI* 3 Days."