School Arts Education Festival Opens on the 3rd; 940 Elementary, Middle and High School Students to Take the Stage

[Financial News] The School Arts Education Festival, featuring 940 elementary, middle and high school students from across the country, opens in Seoul on the 3rd. This year, the number of awards has nearly doubled from last year, expanding opportunities for students to participate. The Ministry of Education said on the 2nd that it will hold the 2026 National School Arts Education Festival for two days starting on the 3rd at Woori Art Hall in Seoul, together with 16 metropolitan and provincial offices of education and the Central Support Group for School Arts Education.
The preliminary rounds, which began in September, drew 73 teams and 2,337 participants from 90 elementary, middle, high and special schools across the country. After judging, 35 teams from 34 schools, comprising 940 participants, were selected to take the stage in the finals.
The number of awards this year has increased to 35 from 18 last year. Twenty-eight Minister of Education Awards and seven awards from the head of the Central Support Group for School Arts Education will be presented.
The festival will begin with an opening celebratory performance by Yeocheon Elementary School, last year’s winner of the ministerial award in the orchestra category. Musical and choir performances will take place on the first day, the 3rd, followed on the 4th by orchestra performances, including standard, wind and Korean traditional music orchestras.
The performances will be livestreamed on the Ministry of Education’s official YouTube channel, Education TV. Students and parents who cannot make it to the venue will also be able to watch online.
Collaborative art works submitted for the finals will be displayed at the venue during the festival. An online metaverse art museum will also be available, allowing people to view the works regardless of their location.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education’s support for student arts clubs has increased from 5,653 in 2024 to 6,117 last year and 9,203 this year.



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