'WAF 2025' Held at Kim Daejung Convention Center and More
Grand Prize Winners: Webtoon by Yoon Inseong Team, Animation by Samsimpaldo C Team
The representative content festival of South Korea, the Webtoon Animation Festival, was held on the 29th at the Kim Daejung Convention Center in Gwangju and other locations. Photo by Gwangju City
The representative content festival of South Korea, the Webtoon Animation Festival, was held on the 29th at the Kim Daejung Convention Center in Gwangju and other locations.
Hosted by Gwangju City and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and organized by the Gwangju Information and Culture Industry Promotion Agency, the '2025 Webtoon Animation Festival (WAF 2025, Web Animation Festival)' celebrated its 21st edition this year. It serves as a flagship event to discover creators in the webtoon and animation sectors and to foster pride among industry professionals.
'WAF2025' featured a variety of programs, including an awards ceremony for the creators' contest and the Korea Animation Awards. The 21st Creators' Contest saw a total of 116 entries, with 46 webtoons and 70 animations competing in creativity and artistic merit. The Grand Prize in the Webtoon General Category (Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award) went to the team led by Yoon Inseong for 'Jukbong Kim Taewon.' The Excellence Award (Gwangju Mayor's Award) was awarded to Choi Youngil for 'Dazzling Wrestler,' and the Merit Award went to Jeon Minju for 'Yongseoae Life.'
In the Animation General Category, the Grand Prize (Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award) was awarded to the team Samsimpaldo C for 'Penggri's Christmas.' The Excellence Award (Gwangju Mayor's Award) went to Kim Dohyun for 'Kiosk,' while the Merit Award was given to Kang Changhee for 'The Ultimate Goal of Life.' A total prize fund of 22.6 million won was distributed among these 18 award-winning works.
The awards ceremony for the creators' contest, held at the Kim Daejung Convention Center, went beyond simple recognition. Through the 'Mentor Counseling Center,' industry experts provided tailored advice to help winners further develop their works.
Notably, a talk concert by Director Jang Seongho, who directed the animation 'King of Kings,' and a special lecture by MindC, author of the popular webtoon 'Will You Marry Me,' offered new inspiration to creators and citizens alike.
The 5th Korea Animation Awards took place at the Rosemary Hall of the Ramada Hotel Chungjang. This year's awards recognized domestically produced animations broadcast in the first half of 2024 and 2025, selecting winners in eight categories. Each category winner received 5 million won and a trophy.
'King of Kings' won the Best Work Award, while the Best Director Award went to Jang Seongho. Other winners included: Producer Award to Lee Eunrang for '1 Second'; Screenplay Award to Kwak Jinyoung for 'Toemarok'; Art Award to Seo Wonik for 'King of Kings'; Animator Award to Kwon Sunjae for 'Toemarok'; Editing Award to Cho Yonghee for 'Dinoster: Dinosaur Guardians Season 2'; and Music Award to Yang Seunghyuk for 'Gachukachu.'
After the awards ceremony, a networking dinner was held with industry professionals, providing a platform to discuss the present and future of the animation industry. Since its inception in 2004, the Webtoon Animation Festival (WAF) has reached its 21st edition this year, having received a total of 3,056 entries, discovered 360 outstanding works, and achieved commercialization of 33 titles, thereby laying the foundation for the growth of the domestic webtoon and animation industry.
Lee Sinhwa, Head of the Content Industry Division, stated, "Building on the 21-year tradition of the Webtoon Animation Festival, we will continue to develop Gwangju as a key hub for the webtoon and animation industry," adding, "We will also persist in implementing policies to support creators and vitalize the content ecosystem."
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