Seoul City Holds Tourism Souvenir Contest... Online Document Submission Until the 16th of Next Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 1st that it will hold the '9th Seoul Symbol Tourism Souvenir Contest' to find unique and stylish souvenirs symbolizing Seoul.

Hosted by Seoul City and organized by Dinomad, this contest was prepared to develop attractive souvenirs representing Seoul and simultaneously discover and nurture small design companies and emerging designers.

The theme of the contest is open, and any tourism souvenir expressing Seoul's history, industry, culture, living infrastructure, or using materials symbolizing Seoul can be submitted.

To meet the increased expectations of buyers, this year, for the first time, a 'Premium Product' category has been newly established alongside the 'General Product' category, making two categories in total. 'General Products' should be priced within 100,000 KRW and be capable of continuous production and mass production. The 'Premium Product' category is for products priced between 100,000 and 300,000 KRW, suitable as premium gifts or decorative souvenirs.

Unlike other contests that provide one-time prize money, the 'Seoul Symbol Tourism Souvenir Contest' supports winning works by purchasing them for the prize amount. Seoul City will support the production or purchase of products worth approximately 84 million KRW for the eight selected winning works, and the purchased winning works will be used as souvenirs for domestic and international promotional purposes in Seoul city administration activities.

Additionally, winning works will receive support for placement in souvenir stores of public institutions and private sectors, including the recently opened Seoul Tourism Plaza. Seoul City will produce a collection of winning works and distribute it for use by private and public institutions. Mentoring support such as expert education in product planning and design, as well as online and offline sales channel expansion, will also be provided.

The first round of document submission will be conducted online via email from the 1st to July 16th. The second round of physical submission will take place over two days, July 19th and 20th, at Seoul City Hall.

Lee Byung-chul, Director of the Tourism Industry Division of Seoul City, said, “This contest will provide new hope and opportunities to small tourism souvenir companies with innovative ideas and technical skills, and we hope it will offer some help to companies struggling due to COVID-19.” He added, “We hope many unique souvenirs capturing Seoul’s charm will be discovered and sold, so that visitors to Seoul will not forget the city and will return again.”

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