SICACO 2026 — Sejong International Cartoon Contest

02 / GUIDELINES

What to make, and what to send.

Entries that fall outside these specifications may be excluded from judging, so please check each line before you send.

ELIGIBILITY

Open to everyone

Anyone in the world with an interest in cartoons — no age limit
Up to 3 works per artist
Joint entries allowed — the representative author must be clearly named
Prize and certificate are issued to the representative author

FORMAT

One panel, A3 or smaller

Single-panel cartoon, A3 (297 × 420 mm) or smaller
Hand-drawn originals and fully digital works are both accepted
Digital submission: JPG, 300 dpi or higher
Scanned hand-drawn work: scan at 300 dpi or higher

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Two items, both mandatory

① Application form — official template, unaltered
② Artwork file — one copy per work
Every field on the form is required; write “N/A” where it does not apply
The template is also posted on sjtp.or.kr and sejongwebtoon.or.kr

03 / HOW TO SUBMIT

Two ways in. One hard deadline.

Digital work goes by e-mail; physical original artwork goes by post. Whichever route you take, your entry must arrive by the deadline — not merely be sent.

Send to

webtoon.SJ@gmail.com

Subject line — exact format

(SICACO 2026) Cartoon_YourName
→ Replace "YourName" with the
  artist's name. Keep the rest as it is.

What to attach

1. Application form
   Application_Form_YourName.pdf
   (or .doc)

2. Artwork — up to 3 files
   Title of Work 1.jpg
   Title of Work 2.jpg
   Title of Work 3.jpg

· Attach the files directly to the
  e-mail. No ZIP or folder needed.
· JPG, 300 dpi or higher.
· Name each file after its title.

Ready?Open in mail app →

Only your first e-mail counts

If you send several e-mails, only the first submission is accepted. If more than three works are attached, only the first three files in the attachment list are registered. Your e-mail must arrive by 18:00 KST on 6 September 2026.

Postal address

Sejong Webtoon Campus
Room 111, 1F, Sejong Technopark
95 Guncheong-ro
Sejong Special Self-Governing City
Republic of Korea

세종특별자치시 군청로 95
세종테크노파크 1층 111호

What goes in the envelope

1. Application form
   filled in, printed, signed

2. Original artwork
   A3 or smaller, single panel

· Enclose the form together with the artwork.
· Post is intended for physical original
  artwork; digital files should go by e-mail.

Post is judged on arrival, not on postmark

Only packages that physically arrive on or before 6 September 2026 are accepted. International shipping to Korea can take one to three weeks — post early. All shipping costs are borne by the entrant.

04 / AWARDS

Five awards, USD 3,050 in total.

Prizes are paid in Korean won at the exchange rate applying on the date of the award. Taxes and public dues are the recipient’s responsibility.

Award

Conferred by

Works

Prize

Grand Prize

Mayor of Sejong Special Self-Governing City

$1,000

Gold Prize

President, Sejong Technopark

$750

Silver Prize

President, Sejong Technopark

$500

Bronze Prize

President, Sejong Technopark

$400 ea.

Honourable Mention

President, Sejong Technopark

Several

Certificate

Total prize poolUSD 3,050 ≈ KRW 4,700,000

Award titles and conferring bodies are subject to change. Winning works are also shown in the SICACO exhibition in early October 2026.

05 / JUDGING

Two rounds. One hundred points.

A panel of five to seven specialists reviews every entry. Round one shortlists roughly the top 20% of entrants; round two is a convened deliberation in which the highest and lowest scores are discarded — an average of 70 or above is required to pass.

Creativity

30 pts

The distinct, individual sensibility carried in the work.

Relevance to the theme

30 pts

How aptly the theme is interpreted, and how completely the idea, story and staging resolve.

Artistry

20 pts

Finish and craft of the drawing; aesthetic quality.

Communication

20 pts

How clearly the theme reaches an audience, and its popular appeal.

Results are announced in mid-September 2026 on the organisers’ websites and by e-mail. Criteria are subject to change.

06 / SCHEDULE

From open call to exhibition.

JUL 2026

Open call announced

Guidelines and application form published.

16 JUL — 6 SEP 2026

Submissions open

By e-mail and by post. Closes 6 September, 18:00 KST.

MID-SEP 2026

Judging & results

Two rounds of review, then announcement on the websites and by e-mail.

AUG — OCT 2026

Exhibition preparation

Selected works prepared for display.

EARLY OCT 2026

Exhibition

Award-winning works exhibited.

OCT 2026

Certificates dispatched

Certificates sent to award recipients.

NOV 2026

Programme closes

Evaluation and settlement.

The schedule above may change as the programme progresses.

07 / THE FINE PRINT

Rules, rights and what not to do.

Entries excluded from judging

Works that do not meet the stated rules or specifications
Works that have already won an award in another competition
Works that clearly infringe copyright through plagiarism or appropriation
Entries where the applicant cannot be identified
Works that defame another person
Works below the required specification in size or quantity
Works containing excessive sexual or violent content

Sejong City, Sejong Technopark and Sejong Webtoon Campus retain a licence to use submitted works for non-commercial promotion of the programme, including reproduction, public performance, exhibition, broadcast, online use and printed collections.

For jointly created works, the division of rights is settled by agreement between the co-authors. The certificate and prize money are awarded to the representative author.

Return of submitted artwork

If you request the return of your work it will be returned to you; any additional cost of return is borne by the entrant.

If no return is requested, the organisers may dispose of submitted work within three months of the close of the contest.

Entrant responsibilities

Responsibility for any disadvantage arising from unfamiliarity with these rules rests with the entrant
All costs incurred in entering are borne by the entrant
Documents not received within the submission period are not accepted
If false information is found in the submitted documents, eligibility is forfeited and Sejong Technopark may claim damages, with costs borne by the entrant

Personal data

Personal information on the application form is collected and used for screening and programme administration under Article 15 of the Personal Information Protection Act of the Republic of Korea.

Retention period: from the date consent is given until the end of the settlement-document retention period (5 years). You may decline consent, but an application cannot be accepted without it.

08 / CONTACT

Questions before you send?

E-mail — submissions & enquirieswebtoon.SJ@gmail.com

Telephone+82 44 850 3844

Organiser

Sejong Webtoon Campus
Sejong Technopark

Address

Room 111, 1F, Sejong Technopark,
95 Guncheong-ro, Sejong Special Self-Governing City,
Republic of Korea

DOWNLOAD

Application form

The official template. Every field is required — enter “N/A” where a field does not apply to you. Please do not alter the layout of the form.

Download .DOCX Download .PDF

The Korean original (.hwp) is available from sjtp.or.kr and sejongwebtoon.or.kr.

Everything that matters, in one screen.

What to make, and what to send.

Open to everyone

One panel, A3 or smaller

Two items, both mandatory

Two ways in. One hard deadline.

Five awards, USD 3,050 in total.

Two rounds. One hundred points.

Creativity

Relevance to the theme

Artistry

Communication

From open call to exhibition.

Open call announced

Submissions open

Judging & results

Exhibition preparation

Exhibition

Certificates dispatched

Programme closes

Rules, rights and what not to do.

Questions before you send?

Application form