Daesan Literary Awards for Young Writers

HISTORY

2011
The “Daesan Literary Awards for Young Writers” aims to improve the emotional state of young people by contributing to the formation of a well-rounded education, serving as a literary scholarship to uncover and train literary talents that will play a leading role in the future of Korean literature. The Foundation accepts submissions from across the country in the categories of poetry (traditional Korean poetry) and fiction from middle and high school students, as well young people in the applicable ages; superior works are selected, and the Foundation conducts a writing camp attended by selected students and reputable writers. A final winner is chosen. Prize-winning works are published in a widely-distributed anthology; award-winners benefit from grants that support the meeting of young writers and the publishing of a literary magazine, all done in an effort to nurture and foster literary skills and friendly relations. In 2011, 1,257 people submitted their works. A committee composed of seven prominent writers was entrusted with evaluating the submitted works and organizing the camp, and the committee selected 78 candidates. A literary competition was organized during the camp, and 39 award winners were chosen.
The award-winning works were published in a collection titled Fifth Floor Africa. In particular, the Foundation created a Creative Writing Scholarship in 2011, which awarded a 2 million KRW scholarship to students who attended the Creative Writing Camp and went on to win annual spring literary contests in major newspapers or made their debut in literary magazines.