The 11th Kyobo Handwriting Contest is co-hosted by Kyobo Book Centre, Kyobo Life Insurance, and the Daesan Cultural Foundation, and organized by the Handwriting Culture Promotion Committee. It is a Korean-language handwriting competition held every year since 2015 as a public-interest campaign, with the goal of bringing back the value of writing by hand in the digital age. A separate Foreigner Category is available specifically for foreigners living in Korea, we warmly encourage you to join!
Who Can Enter
- Anyone who is currently a foreigner residing in Korea is welcome to enter.
- Korean nationals can enter the General Category, but the Foreigner Category is exclusively for foreigners.
Entry Period
| Stage | Dates |
|---|---|
| Submission window | Wednesday, 18 June 2025, Sunday, 17 August 2025 |
| Winners announced | Wednesday, 3 September 2025 |
Dates may change, so please check the official website to confirm before submitting.
What to Write
Choose one of the following two topics and write it in Korean (Hangul).
- A sentence from a book, Pick a line you love from a Korean-language book you have read and write it by hand.
- K-pop lyrics, Write out the Korean lyrics of a K-pop song you enjoy.
How to Enter
Pick whichever of these three methods works best for you.
Online Entry
- Download the entry form from the official Kyobo Handwriting Contest webpage and print it on A4 paper.
- Write on it by hand, then take a photo or scan it (file size must be 5 MB or less).
- Upload the image on the official webpage to complete your submission.
- You must also fill in and submit the “Entrant Information and Consent Form” for the Foreigner Category. This form asks for your name, age, nationality, contact details, how long you have been studying Korean, the city you live in, and how long you have lived in Korea.
In-Store Entry at a Kyobo Book Centre Branch
- Visit any Kyobo Book Centre store nationwide and ask for an entry form at the Barodreem Zone (the service counter). Fill it in and hand it back right there.
Entry by Post or Email
- Post: Handwriting Contest Manager, Kyobo Book Centre, 249 Munbal-ro, Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do 10881, Korea
- Your entry must arrive by the closing date to be valid.
- Email: handwriting@kyobobook.com
- You can also use this email address to request entry forms for a group.
Important Rules
- Your entry must be written in ordinary, everyday handwriting, not brush calligraphy, artistic calligraphy, or decorative lettering. Any type of writing instrument is fine.
- Entries that include foreign-language text or drawings will be disqualified from judging.
- Each person may submit only one entry, under their own account.
- Submitted entries will not be returned, and you cannot edit or change them after submission.
- Winners may be asked to verify their handwriting to confirm the work is their own. If ghostwriting is found, the award will be cancelled.
- Winners will be asked to write out their piece again for display purposes.
Awards
| Prize | Number of Winners | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Gold Prize (으뜸상) | 11 | Kyobo Book Centre gift voucher worth 1,000,000 KRW + additional gift |
| Silver Prize (버금상) | 23 | Kyobo Book Centre gift voucher worth 200,000 KRW + additional gift |
| Honorable Mention (입선) | 300 | Kyobo Book Centre gift voucher worth 10,000 KRW |
- One Gold Prize winner’s handwriting will have the opportunity to be turned into an official Kyobo handwriting font.
- Any taxes due on prizes or gift vouchers (under Korean tax law) are the winner’s responsibility.