Gangneung City, Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province (Mayor Kim Hong-gyu), has announced the selection of 20 winning entries from the 17th Gangneung Tourism Souvenir Contest.

In its 17th year, the Gangneung Tourism Souvenir Contest diversified its categories from the previous year to ensure a wider range of tourism souvenirs. The competition was divided into 'Souvenirs' and 'Processed Foods,' and a public evaluation involving citizens aged 20 to over 50 was conducted to ensure popular appeal.

The contest, held for 48 days from February 17th to April 6th, received a total of 135 entries, comprising 95 souvenir items and 40 processed food products.

Following a two-stage evaluation process, including a public review and an expert assessment, the final 20 winning entries (10 from each category) were selected.

The gold prize winners are △Park Soon-hee's 'Badges for Gangneung Travelers' in the souvenir category and △Choi Geum-hee's 'Three Flavors of Dried Pollack Crisps' in the processed food category.

'Badges for Gangneung Travelers,' featuring nine representative tourist attractions of Gangneung, received high scores for its symbolism of Gangneung and its practicality as a souvenir.

'Three Flavors of Dried Pollack Crisps,' a snack utilizing Gangneung's representative ingredient, dried pollack, also received high marks for showcasing the region's identity and its excellent quality.

Other winning entries include:

Souvenir Category:

Silver Prize: Oh Se-in ‘Tofu in Gangneung’, Cho Soon-ae ‘Chodang Soft Tofu Accessory Holder’
Bronze Prize: Lee Ji-eun ‘Potato Family Magnets’, Park Hye-jeong ‘Moving Gangneung Moving Magnet’
Encouragement Award: Choi Ji-wan ‘Orot-i Set’, Jang Mi-young ‘Gangneung Sea LP Magnet’, Kim Geun-soo ‘Gyeokmongyogyeol Wood Magnet’, Yeom Cheol-seung ‘Gangneung Thought Ceramic Magnet’, Park Dae-gyeom ‘Gangneung Magnet 6 Types’
Processed Food Category:

Silver Prize: Choi Jeong-ho ‘Chodang Tofu Bread’, Jung Jae-won ‘Gangneung Breakwater Bread’
Bronze Prize: Na Sang-myeong ‘Morning of Chodang’, Noh Hyun-joo ‘A Bite of Heart Gangneung Monaka’
Encouragement Award: Kim Se-in ‘Tofu Pave Chocolate’, Kim Dong-geun ‘Gangneung Tigre’, Kim Sun-ok ‘Gangneung Strawberry Rice Cake’, Go Do-yun ‘Coffee Yakgwa Sandwich Made with Gangneung Rice Flour’, Kim Bo-hye ‘Kkoburi Dungji Oranda’
The 20 winning entries will be supported for entry into the Gangneung Tourist Information Center and the Ojukheon Solhyang Premium Shop. Direct promotion will also be conducted in connection with major Gangneung festivals.

Eom Geum-mun, Head of the Tourism Policy Division, stated, "This contest has unearthed many diverse and excellent tourism souvenirs that can represent Gangneung. We will continue to strive to make the Gangneung Tourism Souvenir Contest a substantial platform for discovering tourism souvenirs that capture the essence of Gangneung."