Culture ministry opens voting for 2026 World Webtoon Awards

The culture ministry said Thursday it has opened online voting for the 2026 World Webtoon Awards, inviting fans worldwide to help select the final winners from a field of twenty nominees. The public ballot runs through October 19 on the event's official website and will account for half of the scoring used to determine the ten grand prize recipients.

This year marks the third edition of the awards, which aim to boost pride among industry workers and reinforce South Korea's status as the home of webtoons. A preliminary round held between June 15 and July 24 attracted 7,318 recommendations from 4,038 fans globally across six languages, narrowing an initial pool of 941 entries down to the current shortlist. The top recommended works underwent preliminary screening before judges combined their scores with recommendation counts to finalize the twenty candidates.

For the first time, the organizers are awarding cash prizes to recognize excellence in the sector. The Grand Prize carries 15 million won, the Jury Prize 13 million won, and other grand prize winners will each receive 10 million won. Special categories decided entirely by reader votes include the Popularity Award and the Overseas Work Award.

The awards ceremony is scheduled for December 3 at the Starfield Library in COEX Mall, alongside the World Webtoon Festival, which runs December 2 to 6. The festival period will feature special exhibitions, stage programs, experience events, and webtoon pop-up stores.

Choi Sung-hee, a content industry policy officer at the ministry, noted that the awards have generated significant enthusiasm among fans globally since their launch. "We ask readers to participate actively in choosing the best works with their own hands," Choi said. "Through fair judging, the ministry will make the World Webtoon Awards a festival that elevates the nation's standing as the home of webtoons."