Grand Prize of 50 million won, total prize money of 100 million won… Online submissions by June 9
Changed to a novel-length category in the Youth Novel section… Actively discovering Young Adult content
The 13th Kyobo Bookstore Story Contest image. [Kyobo Bookstore]
[Herald Economy=Kim Hyun-kyung] Kyobo Bookstore announced on the 7th that it will hold the ’13th Kyobo Bookstore Story Contest’ with Studio S and Showbox as co-hosts, and sponsored by ToyouDream and the Korean Mystery Writers Association.
This contest, which began in 2013 and marks its 13th year, has established a unique position among domestic novel competitions by publishing high-quality novel works through the discovery of various materials and a systematic doctoring system. In the past five years, over 2,000 entries have been submitted each year, with a record 2,908 entries in 2023, proving a high level of participation from writers. This shows a continued market demand for the intellectual property (IP) of original works with planning capabilities that consider the potential for expansion into secondary content such as movies and dramas.
There are no restrictions on eligibility; anyone, whether a new or established writer, can participate regardless of genre or subject matter. Submissions are open from today until June 9, and applications and manuscripts can be submitted online through the official Kyobo Bookstore Story Award website.
The winners will be selected through a three-stage process of preliminary, main, and final reviews, with a total of 12 winning works scheduled to be announced in September. Out of the total prize money of 100 million won, 50 million won will be awarded to one Grand Prize winner in the novel-length category, 10 million won for one Best Award in the novel-length category, 5 million won each for four Excellence Awards in the novel-length category, 2 million won each for five Excellence Awards in the short story category, and 10 million won for one Best Award in the youth novel-length category. Additionally, it provides support for publishing in both print and eBook formats and opportunities for expansion into secondary content such as films, dramas, and webtoons.
The biggest change in this year’s contest is that the ‘youth novel’ category will be changed from short stories to novel-length works. This reflects the current growth trend in the Young Adult (YA) content market, intending to discover works with more solid character development and narrative. Kyobo Bookstore anticipates the expansion of youth literature that captures the emotions and concerns of the Gen Z readership and plans to strengthen connections with various content platforms, including publications, film adaptations, and webtoons.
Kyobo Bookstore Story Award-winning works have consistently been adapted into various secondary content forms such as dramas, movies, radio dramas, musicals, plays, and webtoons in both domestic and international markets.
Notable works include the first Grand Prize-winning ‘Singleville’, second competition’s Best Award ‘Pure Boxer Lee Kwon-sook’, third Grand Prize ‘Welcome to the Witch’s Restaurant’, fourth Grand Prize ‘Shift’, fifth Grand Prize ‘Gosi-man’, sixth Grand Prize ‘The Man I Killed Came Back’, seventh Grand Prize ‘Permeating Heart’, ninth Grand Prize ‘Red Spring’, excellence work ‘Repairman of Purgatory’, tenth Grand Prize ‘Blue Flesh’, eleventh Grand Prize ‘mymy’, twelfth Grand Prize ‘Juniperus’ among others.
Among the works discovered through the Story Contest, more than 30 titles, including ‘Girl, Go to Prison’, ‘Hunter with a Scalpel’, ‘The Terror Incident at Samguk High School’, ‘Husband was Elected’, ‘AI Insurance Adjuster, Lloyd’, ‘Only Shy People Remained’, ‘Runaway’, ‘The Idol’, ‘mymy’, have signed contracts for film adaptations, and over 210 titles have been published as print and electronic books. Completed adaptations include ‘Pure Boxer’, ‘Joseon Matchmaking Agency: Flower Crew’, ‘Welcome to the Witch’s Restaurant’, and ‘Luwak Human’.