Kyobo Bookstore Launches '2022 Songeulsseugi Culture Promotion Campaign'

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The Handwriting Culture Promotion Committee, hosted by Kyobo Book Centre Daesan Cultural Foundation and Kyobo Life Insurance, is launching the ‘2022 Handwriting Culture Promotion Campaign’ starting from the 2nd. Now in its 8th year, the campaign offers more attractions and entertainment by distributing the ‘Kyobo Handwriting Contest’, ‘Handwriting Star’, and the ‘Kyobo Handwriting 2021 Sung Ji-young’ font for free.

First, the 8th Kyobo Handwriting Contest is a competition where participants submit a handwritten sentence from a book that left a deep impression on them. The contest is divided into preliminary and final rounds. For the preliminary round, entries can be submitted by writing on entry forms available online (mobile) at Kyobo Book Centre or at sales branches, then sending by mail, submitting in person at Kyobo Book Centre stores, or uploading a photo of the handwritten work on the Kyobo Handwriting Contest webpage. The final round involves writing on specially prepared entry forms for works that passed the preliminary round, which are then judged.

Applications and submissions are accepted until June 30 based on the arrival date, and through three rounds of judging, the final winners will be selected by the end of September. The total prize money includes Kyobo Book Centre gift certificates worth 10,000 KRW awarded to 300 participants who pass the preliminary round, and gift certificates plus prizes for 30 finalists (10 winners of the top prize receive gift certificates worth 500,000 KRW, and 20 runners-up receive gift certificates worth 200,000 KRW).

Additionally, the newly established Judges’ Award this year will be given to up to 7 individuals selected by the judges for unique and meaningful handwriting, each receiving a gift certificate worth 100,000 KRW. Five groups winning the group award will receive 200,000 KRW in cash and a handwritten nameplate. The awards ceremony will be held on October 7, and the winning works will be exhibited at Kyobo Book Centre Gwanghwamun branch and online Kyobo Book Centre. This year, one handwriting piece among the 10 top prize winners will be selected to create a font that will be distributed for free.

In particular, early applicants will receive gifts on a first-come, first-served basis to 100 people (40 children, 30 teenagers, 30 adults). Promotional videos containing judging criteria and tips from previous winners will also be produced and distributed to boost publicity.

The online handwriting contest ‘#HandwritingStar’ is an event where participants share photos of handwriting matching the given theme on SNS each time, with 100 participants receiving Kyobo Book Centre gift certificates worth 10,000 KRW. This year’s mission involves transcribing “Sentences of My Life” handwritten by famous authors themselves. Some of the winning entries will be exhibited together at the Kyobo Handwriting Contest exhibition.

Kim Gyeoul, a writer and member of the Handwriting Culture Promotion Committee organizing this event, stated, “Through the process of choosing a book and writing tools and copying sentences from the book one character at a time, participants will experience a close connection with books and handwriting.”

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