The Overseas Koreans Agency is hosting the 27th Literature Award for Koreans worldwide, offering a total prize money of 29.5 million KRW and a special invitation for all winners to visit their homeland.
The Overseas Koreans Agency (Administrator Lee Sang-deok) has announced the call for entries for the "2025 Overseas Koreans Literature Award," aiming to encourage Korean literary creation globally and contribute to fostering the identity of overseas Koreans and developing Korean literature. Now in its 27th year, this award has become a prominent literary event that promotes cultural communication between Koreans in Korea and abroad through creative works reflecting the lives and stories of overseas Koreans. This year, in particular, the award is generating excitement due to the unprecedented special offer of inviting all winners to their homeland.
Submissions will be accepted online via Korean.net from June 4th to June 30th, approximately one month. Entries are invited in three categories: poetry, short stories, and essays. In addition to free themes, works that capture diverse experiences and perceptions of the overseas Korean community, such as the identity of overseas Koreans, immigration experiences, and activities in Korean language schools, are especially welcome.
Eligibility and Award Scale
Anyone who has acquired citizenship or permanent residency in their country of residence, or has resided overseas for more than seven years, is eligible to participate. For the youth category (ages 7 to under 19), eligibility applies to those who have acquired citizenship or permanent residency or have resided overseas for more than five years. This expanded eligibility is seen as a broad opening to encourage more overseas Koreans to participate in Korean literary creation.
A total prize fund of 29.5 million KRW will be awarded to winners. The grand prize winner in each category will receive 5 million KRW, excellence award winners 2.5 million KRW, and honorable mention winners 1 million KRW, with a total of 13 winners to be selected. Beyond the prize money, what makes this year's award particularly significant is the special privilege of inviting all winners to their homeland.
Invitation of Winners to Korea: Expanding the Forum for Korean Literary Exchange
Since its inception in 1999, the Overseas Koreans Literature Award has played a significant role in supporting the mother tongue literary activities of overseas Koreans and strengthening cultural ties through the Korean language. Over the years, numerous overseas Korean writers have emerged through this award, and their works have formed an important pillar of diaspora literature.
This year's program, which will invite all winners to their homeland for the first time, goes beyond a simple awards ceremony. The Overseas Koreans Agency will fully support round-trip airfare and accommodation for the winners, arrange opportunities for exchange with Korean literary figures, and provide various Korean cultural experiences. This invitation event is expected to be a valuable opportunity for overseas Korean writers to communicate with the Korean literary community and directly experience the essence of Korean culture, thereby deepening their sense of identity and belonging as overseas Koreans.
Lee Sang-deok, Administrator of the Overseas Koreans Agency, stated, "The Overseas Koreans Literature Award is a channel through which our compatriots scattered around the world maintain cultural and emotional ties with their homeland through the root of the Korean language. Especially this year, by directly inviting the winners to Korea, we aim to broaden the horizons of Korean literature through active exchange with domestic literary figures and contribute to strengthening the cultural capabilities of the overseas Korean community."
The Overseas Koreans Literature Award functions as an important cultural asset that not only records the history and present of the overseas Korean community but also projects its future, going beyond a simple writing competition. Active participation from overseas Koreans worldwide with a passion for Korean literature is anticipated for this call for entries, which is expected to yield even richer fruits for overseas Korean literature.
For more details, please refer to the Overseas Koreans Agency website (www.oka.go.kr), Korean.net (korean.net), or the official page (m.site.naver.com/1ISKG). You can also inquire via email (pms01@okocc.or.kr) or phone (+82-2-3415-0144).
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