Gwangyang-si Launches 2023 Maehwa Festival Idea Contest

All About the Festival: Experience Programs, Festival Venue Plans, and More

Anyone Interested in the Gwangyang Maehwa Festival Throughout November

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] Gwangyang City in Jeollanam-do announced that it will hold an idea contest to leap forward as a representative festival of Korea ahead of the 2023 Gwangyang Maehwa Festival, which will be held for the first time in four years.

The city will hold a nationwide contest for one month starting from November 1 to collect original and innovative ideas that can enhance the charm and competitiveness of the Gwangyang Maehwa Festival.

Under the subtitle "Gwangyang Maehwa Festival Our Way," this contest covers all aspects of the festival, including tourist participation programs, festival site arrangements, and side events, and the ideas must be feasible.

Anyone interested in the Gwangyang Maehwa Festival can apply by downloading the form from the Gwangyang City Hall website (gwangyang.go.kr), filling it out, and submitting it online or by mail.

The submission deadline is December 1. After a strict evaluation based on feasibility and creativity, the results will be announced on the city’s website by the end of December, and the selected applicants will be individually notified.

A total of 11 winning entries will be selected, with prizes awarded in Gwangyang Love Gift Certificates as follows: Grand Prize (1 entry) 700,000 KRW, Excellence Prize (2 entries) 500,000 KRW, Encouragement Prize (3 entries) 300,000 KRW, and Effort Prize (5 entries) 100,000 KRW.

The adopted proposals will be developed into detailed implementation plans and introduced at the 2023 Gwangyang Maehwa Festival. For more details, please refer to the announcement on the Gwangyang City Hall website.

Jung Gu-young, Director of Tourism, said, “We hope for the public’s active interest and participation in the Gwangyang Maehwa Festival, which is being created together rather than led solely by the government,” adding, “We expect many fresh and original ideas and contents that reflect the identity of the Gwangyang Maehwa Festival to be discovered.”

He continued, “As the Gwangyang Maehwa Festival will be held for the first time in four years due to COVID-19, expectations are high. We plan to enhance visitor satisfaction with high-quality programs and readiness, drive regional economic revitalization, and make every effort to leap forward as a representative festival of Korea.”

The Gwangyang Maehwa Festival, which opens the spring festival season in Korea, features a spectacular 330,000㎡ Maehwa (plum blossom) colony along the Seomjin River and attracts over one million tourists annually.

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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