Goheung County Announces Winners of the 8th Goheung Buncheong Ceramic Contest

Hwang Sunhoe Wins Grand Prize
with "The House Where Plum Blossoms Fully Bloom"

On October 10, Goheung County in Jeollanam-do (Governor Gong Youngmin) officially announced the results of the 8th Goheung Buncheong Ceramic National Contest.

This year's contest, held under the theme "Designing Memories in Everyday Life," was announced on April 14 and attracted a total of 71 high-quality Buncheong ceramic works from across the country. The entries were highly praised for their harmonious expression of the tradition of Goheung's ceramic culture and contemporary aesthetics.

Grand Prize-winning work by artist Hwang Sunhoe, "The House Where Plum Blossoms Fully Bloom".

In this year's contest, a total of 30 outstanding works were selected through a rigorous judging process, including the Grand Prize and the Excellence Awards. The Grand Prize winner receives the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award and a prize of 10 million won. Each of the two Excellence Award winners receives the Administrator of Cultural Heritage Administration Award and 6 million won, and each of the three Merit Award winners receives the Jeollanam-do Governor's Award and 4 million won. The total prize money amounts to 38 million won.

The Grand Prize was awarded to "The House Where Plum Blossoms Fully Bloom" by ceramic artist Hwang Sunhoe, who is active in Jinju, Gyeongsangnam-do. This work was recognized for its harmonious depiction of the emotions of a spring day when plum blossoms are in full bloom, using traditional Buncheong techniques and modern sculptural beauty. It received high marks for both artistic value and thematic expression.

An official from the Buncheong Cultural Museum stated, "As the birthplace of Buncheong ceramics, Goheung holds this contest every year to both preserve tradition and seek connections with contemporary ceramic culture. We will continue to do our best to discover new ceramic talents and expand the base of ceramic culture."

The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on the 29th, and the winning works will be on display at the Goheung Buncheong Cultural Museum's exhibition hall for local residents and tourists from after the ceremony until February next year.

Meanwhile, the Goheung Buncheong Ceramic National Contest, first held in 2018, is now in its eighth year and has established itself as a nationwide competition, attracting outstanding works with creativity and artistic merit each year.