Culture Ministry Hosts AI and Data Contest with Total Prize of 50 Million Won

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on April 27 that it will hold the '2026 Culture, Sports and Tourism Artificial Intelligence (AI)·Data Utilization Contest' until June 26, 2026.

The ministry plans to discover outstanding cases that enrich the public's cultural life by utilizing AI technology and cultural data through this contest. The event is co-organized by the Korea Culture Information Service Agency, the Arts Council Korea, the Korea Creative Content Agency, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, and the Korea Tourism Organization.

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The competition consists of three categories: ▲Utilization of New Technologies (AI·DX), ▲Utilization of Cultural Data, and ▲Data Analysis. A total of 15 awards will be presented, with total prize money amounting to 50 million won. For the two grand prize-winning teams in the Cultural Data Utilization category, an opportunity to advance to the finals of the '14th Pan-Government Public Data Utilization Startup Competition' organized by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will be offered. Last year, the grand prize winners received the Presidential Award and the Minister of the Interior and Safety Award at the '13th Pan-Government Public Data Utilization Startup Competition.' In addition, business development and investment consulting (IR) will be provided for the best entries in each category.

Any Korean citizen, either individually or as part of a team of up to five people (including companies), can apply for the contest through the official website. Participants in the Cultural Data Utilization and Data Analysis categories must use at least one type of open cultural data provided by data platforms managed by public institutions affiliated with or under the ministry, such as the Culture Public Data Plaza or the Culture Big Data Platform.

The awards ceremony will be held during the '4th Culture, Sports and Tourism Digital Innovation Forum' on November 17. Each year, the ministry hosts keynote speeches by experts in the cultural AI field and presentations of digital innovation cases at the forum, as well as operating promotional booths for each participating organization.

Additionally, the ministry will hold a 'Cultural Data Utilization Briefing Session' on May 13 for citizens and corporate stakeholders interested in utilizing cultural data. The session will introduce five types of high-quality AI training datasets, including Hanbok photographs, Korean traditional music audio, and traditional patterns, along with key data platforms. These datasets will be provided upon request to contest participants. Further details can be found on the contest's official website.

A policy official from the ministry stated, "This contest will serve as an opportunity to showcase how AI and data can enrich the culture, sports, and tourism aspects of daily life for our citizens," adding, "We look forward to the participation of many outstanding talents who will continue the honor of receiving the Presidential Award."

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