'Naver Webtoon' Serialization Rights at Stake as 41 Universities Compete in Daejeon Nov. 5–6

A launchpad for discovering future K-webtoon greats, connecting talent with global companies

Daejeon City and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have joined forces to discover emerging artists who will lead the future of K-webtoons and create jobs.

Daejeon City said on the 4th that it will jointly hold the 2026 University Comics and Webtoon Competition and the Webtoon Job Fair over two days, from the 5th to the 6th, at Hotel ICC in Daejeon. The events aim to showcase the creative abilities of local university students and emerging artists at home and abroad, and provide practical opportunities for employment at webtoon companies and for commercializing their work.

This year’s University Comics and Webtoon Competition drew a total of 255 entries from 41 universities nationwide, setting the stage for fierce competition. Fifty-five works selected through a fair judging process will be exhibited during the event, with substantial benefits for outstanding entries. The grand prize winner (one person) and two gold prize winners will receive serialization rights on Naver Webtoon, the country’s largest platform, while the three silver prize winners will receive premium webtoon creation equipment.

The Webtoon Job Fair, held at the same time, will serve as a stepping stone to global expansion. A total of 17 companies will take part in recruiting talented artists, including two overseas companies—China’s major platform Bilibili Comics and Japan’s Red Seven—as well as 15 promising domestic webtoon companies.

Participating companies will offer portfolio-based, one-on-one consultations on artists’ work and job interviews for university students and emerging artists attending the event, with plans to actively support concrete pathways to employment.

A variety of additional events will also broaden the industry’s reach. They include the Daejeon Webtoon Science and Technology Forum, which will explore ways to bring webtoons and science and technology together; a seminar on international exchanges for emerging artists; a pop-up store featuring Daejeon-based webtoon artists; and workshops to strengthen webtoon artists’ practical skills.

Kwon Kyung-min, director general of Daejeon City’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, said, "This joint event will provide an opportunity to build a strong foundation for cooperation between talented webtoon artists at local universities and leading companies at home and abroad." He added, "We will continue to expand opportunities for local artists to serialize their work, find jobs and start businesses."