Korea Ceramic Foundation Closes First Round of Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale Competition with 23-to-1 Competition Rate

1,050 Ceramic Artists from 77 Countries Participate
1,397 Works Submitted Amid Global Attention
60 Prize-Winning Works to Be Selected in the First Round of Online Judging
Final Rankings to Be Determined Through Second On-Site Evaluation in July

The Korea Ceramic Foundation announced on March 3 that the first round of online submissions for the '2026 Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale International Competition' has closed, recording a competition rate of 23 to 1, with 1,050 artists from 77 countries around the world submitting a total of 1,397 works.

Grand Prize winner of the 2024 Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale International Competition: Matt Wedel (USA), Landscape of Fruition. Provided by Korea Ceramic Foundation

The 'Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale International Competition' is recognized as a global platform for exhibition exchange that presents the future of ceramic art and serves as a gateway for emerging artists from both Korea and abroad.

By continent, the participating countries include: 36 from Europe, 13 from Asia, 2 from North America, 10 from South America, 8 from the Middle East, 6 from Africa, and 2 from Oceania, making a total of 77 countries. The submitted works break down as follows: 759 from Asia, 399 from Europe, 169 from the Americas, 44 from the Middle East, 15 from Africa, and 11 from Oceania.

The first round of online judging will run until early April, with a total of 60 prize-winning works to be selected. Judging will be conducted by 11 jury members, and to ensure fairness, the list of jurors and the judging process will remain confidential until the final results are announced. Following this, a second round of on-site evaluation of actual works will take place in July, after which the final rankings of the prize-winning works will be determined.

The total prize money for this competition amounts to 150 million won, with 60 million won awarded to the Grand Prize winner and 10 million won each to the recipients of the Excellence Awards, along with special privileges. The 60 prize-winning works that pass the online judging will be exhibited at the Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum during the '2026 Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale' period and through mid-February 2027.

2024 Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale International Competition Excellence Award Winner Ayoung Kim (Korea), Jo Dragon Restoration Painting. Courtesy of Korea Ceramic Foundation

Ryu Inkwon, CEO of the Korea Ceramic Foundation, stated, "The Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale International Competition has once again demonstrated that it continues to earn the trust and interest of ceramic artists worldwide. We hope that visitors from around the world will fully enjoy the outstanding works selected through a rigorous judging process."

Meanwhile, the 13th edition of the '2026 Gyeonggi International Ceramic Biennale' will be held for 45 days from September 18 to November 1, under the artistic direction of Lee Daehyung, at major exhibition venues including the Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum (Icheon), Gyeonggi Museum of Ceramic Design (Gwangju), and Gyeonggi Living Ceramic Museum (Yeoju), as well as various locations throughout Gyeonggi Province.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.