50% of Reader Votes Reflected... 'World Webtoon Awards' Main Awards to Be Decided

[Financial News] Reader voting to determine the winners of this year's 'World Webtoon Awards' begins.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) on the 17th, the Ministry and the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) will conduct online voting for the 20 nominees for the main awards of the '2026 World Webtoon Awards' from noon that day through October 19.
The nominees include 'Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint,' 'Lookism,' and 'Return of the Blossoming Blade.' Webtoon readers worldwide can vote for three works per person each week on the official website.
In the contest held from June 15 to July 24, 4,038 fans from around the world recommended 7,318 entries, and 941 works were submitted. The 114 works that ranked among the top 100 in recommendation numbers, including ties, were sent to the preliminary review to select the finalists.
Of the 941 works recommended in total, approximately 2.1% advanced to the final review.
The 10 main award winners will be selected by combining judges' evaluation scores and reader voting results, each accounting for 50%. The special Popularity Award will be determined solely by reader votes, while the International Work Award will go to the highest-scoring work among the international entries.
Readers participate not only in discovering nominees but also in selecting the final winners. Reader evaluations are reflected in both the Popularity Award and the main awards, creating a structure that considers expert judgment alongside public preference.
The prize money introduced for the first time this year is 15 million won for the Grand Prize, 13 million won for the Judges' Award, and 10 million won each for the other main award winners.
The awards ceremony, now in its third year, will be held on December 3 at Starfield Library in Starfield COEX Mall, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It will be held in conjunction with the World Webtoon Festival, which runs from December 2 to 6.
During the festival, special exhibitions, stage programs, hands-on events, and pop-up stores will be operated at COEX Hall B and Starfield.
Choi Seong-hee, Director General of Content Industry Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "The Ministry will make the World Webtoon Awards a festival that enhances Korea's status as the home of webtoons through fair judging."

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