Gyeongnam opens 2026 K-Design Exhibition to global entrants

South Korea’s Gyeongsangnam-do province is inviting designers, students, companies and creative teams worldwide to compete in the 2026 Gyeongnam K-Design Exhibition. The contest aims to turn the region’s industry, heritage and tourism assets into design work, with 37 awards and 30 million won in prize money.

Why it matters: - The 2026 Gyeongnam K-Design Exhibition is meant to connect Gyeongsangnam-do’s industrial base, cultural heritage and tourism assets through design. - The contest gives international participants a pathway into a Korean regional design platform and, for winners, exposure in Changwon and Seoul. - The exhibition also reflects how design competitions are adapting to generative AI, with submission rules that require disclosure of AI use.

What happened: - Gyeongsangnam-do announced that it will invite designers, students, companies and creative teams from around the world to take part in the 2026 Gyeongnam K-Design Exhibition. - The first-round online application period runs from Aug. 18 to Sept. 11, 2026, until 11:59 p.m. Korea Standard Time. - Applicants will submit entries through the Gyeongnam K-Design Exhibition website. - Works that advance past the first round must go through a second round of physical submission and final judging.

The details: - The exhibition is organized as a design competition to reinterpret Gyeongsangnam-do’s industrial, historical, cultural and tourism resources from a design perspective. - The region is described as a major industrial center in southern Korea, with growth tied to aerospace, nuclear power and defense, and shipbuilding. - Gyeongsangnam-do also promotes heritage linked to the Gaya tombs and tourism resources along the southern coast. - The competition has two tracks: a free theme and a special theme. - The free theme covers product and craft design, visual and digital media and content design, and spatial, environmental and service design. - The special theme is “Gyeongsangnam-do’s power, designing the future,” focused on creative work that expresses the province’s industry, heritage, tourism and regional identity. - Eligible entrants include domestic and international university students, graduate students, the general public and companies in the general division. - Domestic and international high school students and age-equivalent teenagers may enter the high school division. - Individuals or teams of up to four people may compete. - Each person or team may submit up to two works. - Entry is free. - The contest will award 37 prizes with total prize money of 30 million won. - The general division grand prize includes the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award and 10 million won. - Additional awards will recognize free-theme entries, special-theme entries, high school entries, local talent and instructors. - Winning works will be shown at an awards ceremony and exhibition in Changwon Convention Center in October 2026. - Prize-winning entries will also be displayed at “Design Korea 2026” at COEX in Seoul in November 2026. - The exhibition includes submission standards for works created with generative AI. - Entries that use AI must clearly state whether AI was used and how it was used. - Final work must reflect the entrant’s creative concept and editorial judgment.

Between the lines: - The contest is positioning regional assets as exportable design content, not just local promotion. - The two-stage judging process suggests organizers want to evaluate both concept and execution before naming winners. - The AI disclosure rule signals that Korean design competitions are trying to set boundaries around authorship as creative tools change.

What’s next: - Entrants will submit first-round materials online in late summer 2026. - Selected finalists will prepare physical works for the second round. - Organizers will announce winners ahead of the October ceremony in Changwon and the November showcase in Seoul. - Designers interested in the competition can follow updates through the exhibition’s official website.