Interior ministry opens public vote for government innovation contest

The interior ministry said Tuesday that public voting for its 2026 Government Innovation Grand Champion Contest will run from Aug. 12 to Sept. 1.

The contest is divided into participation and communication, basic society and administrative innovation.

Experts selected 79 of 546 projects submitted by 254 institutions nationwide for public evaluation. The entries comprised 166 participation and communication projects, 179 basic society projects and 201 administrative innovation projects. Selected cases include efforts that use generative AI and data analysis to automate administrative work or speed policy responses, interagency efforts to resolve long-running civil complaints and conflicts, measures to broaden care and welfare services, and efforts to simplify frequently used public services.

The public may review the entries and choose three projects in each category on the Sotong Innovation 24 online platform at sotong.go.kr. Participants will be eligible for lottery prizes.

Public votes will be combined with expert assessments to select candidates for the final round. Online policy communication, including policy introduction videos and public question-and-answer sessions, will follow before 13 projects are confirmed for the final competition. The final rankings will be decided through on-site voting at the 2026 Government Innovation Expo, which begins Nov. 25 at KINTEX in Ilsan.

Noh Hong-seok, head of the interior ministry's Participation and Innovation Organization Office, said small innovations in the field are a driving force that change people's daily lives and lead South Korea's broader transformation. "Your valuable vote will be a great force in creating better government innovation, so we ask for your interest and participation in this online public evaluation," he said.