Prize pool of 20 million won—Cineplay x Korea Film Archive Hosts the 1st Korea Short Drama Awards!

Co-hosted by Cineplay and the Korea Film Archive to discover future K video content

May 20 (Wed) to July 20 (Mon) — submissions open,

Awards ceremony on August 29 (Sat), with a Grand Prize of 10 million won

Outstanding visualization of the language of short dramas—Official posters for the Studio Hall revealed

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Now is the era of short dramas! Cineplay (CEO Choi Tae-hyung) and the Korea Film Archive (Director Mo Eun-young) will co-host the “1st Korea Short Drama Awards.” In 2026, the global short drama market reached 15 trillion won in scale. Global short drama platforms such as Rilshot and Drama Box, along with major global OTT services like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime, have also jumped into the vertical short-form content ecosystem. Recently in Korea as well, short drama platforms, production companies, and distributors have been launching one after another. Domestic OTT services such as Tving and Watcha have also begun short drama production and distribution, rapidly expanding the market size. ENA’s “Directors’ Arena,” a program that combines short drama directing with survival variety elements, made its debut recently. Short drama by director Lee Joon-ik—who has directed 10 or more feature films including “King and the Clown” (2005), “Radio Star” (2006), “The Priest” (2015), “Dongju” (2016), and “The Treasure of the Sea” (2021)—his first short drama, “My Father’s Homecooked Meal,” is scheduled to be released in the second half of the year. It’s as if short dramas are triggering a tectonic shift in the K-content market.

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“Short dramas are also the record of the times—precious video materials.”

(Mo Eun-young, Director of the Korea Film Archive)

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“Through short dramas, a new ecosystem for K video content will be created.”

(Choi Tae-hyung, CEO of Cineplay)

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“A moment to think about the ‘aesthetics’ of short dramas in order to move to the next stage.”

(Joo Sung-cheol, Editorial Director of Cineplay)

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Mo Eun-young, the newly appointed Director of the Korea Film Archive, who decided to co-host, said, “We evaluated the intent highly in terms of diversifying and expanding the video culture content currently pursued by the Korea Film Archive, and therefore decided to co-host.” She added, “To further add meaning, in the future the Film Archive is preparing archival support for the winners of this year’s short drama awards. From now on, short dramas will be safely preserved as records of the times—and as precious video materials.” Choi Tae-hyung, CEO of Cineplay, who has been preparing this awards event, said, “I’ve been paying attention to the short drama market for a long time, and it feels like the time has finally come.” He expressed expectations that “Through co-hosting with the Korea Film Archive, a new ecosystem for K video content will be created by archiving, preserving, and expanding the short drama IP.” Joo Sung-cheol, Editorial Director of Cineplay, who oversees the program, also said, “Now is the time when short dramas must go beyond the existing entertainment fun and value, and consider the ‘aesthetics’ needed to move to the next stage.” He further stated, “On August 29, the 1st Korea Short Drama Awards will be held at the Korea Film Archive’s main office in Sangam-dong. We hope many challenging works will be submitted that will broaden the horizon of our understanding.” Meanwhile, for more details on the awards overview and submission process, you can check Cineplay’s homepage.

Eligibility for the Contest: Short dramas with fresh and creative topics and stories

Entry Requirements: Open to both established and new creators.

(However, to discover promising up-and-coming creators, feature film directors whose films are released in theaters are excluded.)

Submission Period: May 20 (Wed) to July 20 (Mon)

Submission Guidelines:

- 1 minute to under 3 minutes per episode, with at least 7 episodes of vertical (9:16) short drama

- Genre is不限 and formats may include live-action, as well as animation and AI videos

- Works produced after July 1, 2025

- Up to 2 works per person

Awards Details:

Grand Prize, Excellence Awards, Actor Award, AI Short Drama Award, and New Creator Award

(Grand Prize: 10 million won; totaling 10 million won for the remaining categories)

Award Benefits: Archival support from the Korea Film Archive, plus distribution and distribution support in collaboration with the award sponsors and partner companies

Awards Ceremony & Event: August 29 (Sat), Korea Film Archive (Sangam-dong main office)

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How to Apply:

- For detailed information on the 1st Korea Short Drama Awards, including submission entry, click “Cineplay Homepage” and then ‘Korea Short Drama Awards’

- For inquiries about the awards, please contact Cineplay (awards@cineplay.co.kr).

Organizers: Cineplay, Korea Film Archive

Sponsors: Korea Creative Content Agency, Korea Music Copyright Association, Hankyoreh, Dito Investment, Pango

Partners: Big Ocean ENM, New Universe, SOON ENT, Bamboo Network, Code Crayon, Orpheo, Big Title

Source: Cineplay (https://www.cineplay.co.kr)