Korea Federation of SMEs Holds 'Small Business Awareness Idea Contest'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Junhyung] The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business (KSMB) announced on the 14th that it is accepting entries for the "12th Small and Medium Business Awareness Idea Contest." The contest aims to dispel negative stereotypes about small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and to reexamine their social roles and status. The application period is until the 19th of next month.

This contest is accepting posters, videos, essays, and SME awareness improvement idea proposals on themes such as stories with SMEs, the social roles and values of SMEs. The main participants are middle and high school students, students and graduates of specialized high schools, and SME employees.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will select the winners after expert evaluation of the submitted works. The criteria include understanding of SME awareness improvement, applicability, creativity, and impact. The grand prize (1 winner) will receive a cash prize of 1 million KRW and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Award.

In addition, 61 winners will receive certificates and a total of 7.15 million KRW in prizes, including the Excellence Award (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Award), the Outstanding Award (Minister of SMEs and Startups Award), the Semi-Excellence Award (KSMB Chairman Award), and Special Awards (IBK Industrial Bank President Award, Naver CEO Award).

Applications can be submitted by downloading the application form from the "Pretty Good SMEs" and KSMB "Happy SME" websites.

Meanwhile, KSMB launched the official service of "Pretty Good SMEs" on the 15th of last month and is promoting various projects to improve SME awareness. Furthermore, according to the "Business Agreement for Securing Excellent SME Talent and Resolving Youth Unemployment" signed last year with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and IBK Industrial Bank, a scholarship of 50 million KRW will be provided over five years to specialized high schools with high SME employment rates.

Lee Taehee, Head of the Smart Job Division at KSMB, stated, "I hope many people will empathize with the importance of SMEs, which serve as the backbone of our economy." He added, "Starting at the end of this month, we will work hard to resolve job mismatches through SME awareness improvement education and to expand employment opportunities for excellent high school graduates in SMEs."

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