"New Stories to Lead the Future of Korean Cinema"

The Korean Film Council (Chairman Han Sang-jun; KOFIC) held the awards ceremony for the 2026 Screenplay Contest for Korean Films on Thursday, June 25, at SCENE ONE (S#1), KOFIC's Korea Film Planning and Development Center in Myeongdong, Seoul.

KOFIC's Screenplay Contest for Korean Films is a pure creative fiction screenplay competition designed to discover and nurture talented emerging writers. Outstanding works are selected based on filmability, artistic merit, originality, freshness, and diversity.

This year's contest received a total of 1,225 submitted screenplays — up from 963 the previous year — and following an intensive selection process, 14 outstanding screenplays were chosen. The Grand Prize was awarded to ▲ Kim Wan for Our Child. A psychological thriller told from the perspective of a mother with antisocial personality disorder, the work was praised by jurors as "a piece with living, breathing characters built around an intriguing premise, made compelling by an attractive twist."

This year's contest drew a diverse range of works that blur the line between independent and commercial cinema. The 14 award-winning screenplays received the following prizes: ▲ Grand Prize (1 work): Our Child (Kim Wan) — KRW 30 million ▲ Excellence Award (1 work): The Archivist (Choi Jeong-woo) — KRW 20 million ▲ Merit Award (1 work): After the Play Ends (Kim So-yeon) — KRW 10 million ▲ Encouragement Award (1 work): Rabbit Hole (Kim Seung-yeon) — KRW 7.5 million ▲ Honorable Mention (10 works): The Factory Women (Kim Won-jin), The Price of a Liver (Choi Ji-hye), Ulleungdo 1974 (Kwon Min-seong), A Promise Unkept (Im So-jeong), Black Death (Im Hyo-jun), The Recorders: Records That Frightened the King (Im Ho-dong), The Falcon Descends (Jeong Gi-wook), Stigma (Lee Gi-rin), Table Death (Kang Ra-on), Jo's Story (O Mu-a) — KRW 3.5 million each; for a total prize fund of KRW 102.5 million.

Chairman Han Sang-jun expressed his hope that "the fresh stories discovered through this contest will come to life on screen and resonate vividly with audiences," adding that "KOFIC will continue to provide systematic support to help outstanding screenplays develop into actual film productions."

Meanwhile, KOFIC plans to support the further development of the selected writers through the SCENE ONE (S#1) Lab Program. The program will offer intensive mentoring sessions and business matching opportunities with professionals from across the film industry, including directors, producers, writers, and investors.