JW Pharmaceutical JW Lee Jong-ho Foundation Holds Art Contest for Disabled Artists... Artist Son Woo-jin Wins Grand Prize

[Financial News] JW Lee Jong-ho Foundation, a public interest foundation of JW Pharmaceutical, held an art contest to support the creative activities of artists with disabilities.
The JW Lee Jong-ho Foundation announced on the 10th that it held the '2026 JW Art Awards' ceremony at the Insa Art Center in Insa-dong, Seoul on the 9th.
The JW Art Awards, marking its 12th year, is a fine art competition for artists with disabilities. It was launched in 2015 in accordance with the wishes of the late Lee Jong-ho, Honorary Chairman of JW Pharmaceutical.
This year's competition accepted entries on a free theme from disabled artists aged 16 and older, with a total of 430 entries submitted. This is an increase of 90 entries compared to last year's 340, marking the highest number of entries in history.
The Grand Prize was awarded to 'Sanctuary 3' by artist Son Woo-jin. Born in 2009, Son is currently a sophomore at Dongnae High School in Busan. 'Sanctuary 3' is a work that depicts a personal resting space floating in the sky, capturing the traces of time and comfort remaining in an old space.
The Grand Prize was awarded to two winners, the Excellence Prize to two, the Encouragement Prize to two, and Honorable Mentions to ten. The 'JW Rising Star Award,' newly established this year, was selected for Kim Jun-young's work, 'Slowly, But Shining.' This year's winners received a total of 20.5 million won in prize money, including 5 million won for the Grand Prize.
Follow-up support has also been established to support the continuous creative activities of artists with disabilities. If a winner who received the main award while still in high school enrolls in an art-related university after graduation, the full entrance fee and tuition for the first semester will be covered. Support is also provided for holding solo exhibitions and attending overseas art exhibitions.
The winning works will be exhibited at the main building on the first floor of the Insa Art Center in Seoul until the 14th. Admission is free.
An official from the JW Lee Jong-ho Foundation stated, "We are supporting disabled artists so that they can continue their creative activities through the JW Art Awards," adding, "We will continue to develop this into a competition that discovers and supports artists with disabilities."

[email protected] Jeong Sang-hee Reporter