11 Works by Outstanding Story Writers from Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongnam Win Story IP Contest Awards

[Financial News] A competition for outstanding story intellectual property (IP) from Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongsangnam-do has concluded successfully. Of the 110 works submitted, 11 were selected, raising expectations for future adaptations into dramas, films and other screen formats.
The Busan Film Commission (BFC) announced on the 13th that it held an awards ceremony for the 2026 BFC Story IP Contest at the BFC joint booth during the 2026 Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) on the afternoon of the 12th.

The contest received 110 entries this year. Five external professional judges evaluated on site the 28 works that passed the preliminary screening. The final selection included 11 winning works, one more than last year, with the addition this year of the newly established Busan Bank Special Award.
The Grand Prize went to Fake Family, a feature film by Wyeogari Film written by Choi Beom-seok. It was selected unanimously by the judges, who praised its well-crafted, commercially appealing story and the writer's skill in cleverly weaving together characters, situations and events. The Grand Prize winner will receive 30 million won.
Two works were selected for the Excellence Award. They were Rumor, Secretly Like the Wind (Studio Killer Whale), about a girl assassin who journeys with a Joseon prince for revenge, and Haeundae Pirate Crew, a crime-comedy feature film about a treasure hunt to find an underwater vault, written by Kim Bichae. Each winner will receive 10 million won.
Seven works were named for the Encouragement Award: What Cannot Be Traded (written by Lee Seung-hyeong), The Awakened One, Video Boy (written by Kim Jae-sik), Fire Your Boss (Cinepin House), The Ghost (Bridge Production), Round (written by Jeong Jae-yun), Stop the Movie (written by Kim Min-ho) and Twenty Thousand Steps to the Surface (written by Park Dong-sik). Each winner will receive 4 million won.
Established this year, the Busan Bank Special Award was created to expand and promote the webtoon and animation fields. The winning work is MUSHROOM by writer Jeong Yu-mi. It is an original story for animation that uses growing mushrooms to metaphorically portray a character's sense of self and desires. The winner will receive 3 million won.
The creators of the winning works will sign a Business Support Program Implementation Agreement with the Busan Film Commission and receive follow-up project support, including participation in next year's BFC Story IP Promotion event. A Creative Capacity-Building Workshop for this contest's winners and local creators is also scheduled for the 4th of next month.
[email protected] Byeon Ok-hwan Reporter