The eight final winning works of the '2026 Naver Webtoon High School Tournament,' a contest aimed at discovering youth webtoon creators, have been selected.
Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and co-organized by the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency (KOMACON) and Naver Webtoon, the 'Naver Webtoon High School Tournament' is a webtoon contest held for high school students and out-of-school youth of the same age group. It aims to discover next-generation webtoon creators equipped with creativity and potential.
A total of 233 entries were submitted from across the nation for this year's competition. Through preliminary evaluations, 40 participants advanced to the finals, where they underwent a 'Creation Workshop' mentored by experts and a 'Final Practical Test' that comprehensively evaluated planning, story, and art skills within a limited time. Following final judging, student Park Su-yeon's 'Delivering on Your Behalf!' was selected for the Grand Prize. Student Ji Su-hyun's 'Pickpocket Gallery' won the Top Excellence Award, while student Seo Jeong-min's 'Memento Mori' took the Excellence Award.
Five works were named Encouragement Award winners: student Kim So-hyun's 'Lot Rider,' student Kim Na-hui's 'Spirit of the Embers,' student Kim Seo-yeon's 'Dangerous Cooperation,' student Lee Song-hyun's 'Ghost Life Guidance,' and student Ryu Hyeon-a's 'I Came to Pester My Mom.' The Grand Prize, Top Excellence Award, and Excellence Award winners will also be granted official serialization opportunities on Naver Webtoon, making the contest notable for directly linking competition success to a professional debut.
The awards ceremony will be held on November 3 during the 'Comics Day' celebration, where active professional webtoon creators will also attend to congratulate the winners.
