Kakao Entertainment’s free web novel serialization platform Kakao Page Stage (hereinafter referred to as Stage) will hold the ‘Stage College Student Web Novel Contest 2022’.
As a special opportunity for college (graduate) students who dream of becoming web novel writers, a total of 9 winning works will be officially debuted on Kakao Page and a total of 45 million won in prize money will be awarded.
The stage is a stage for creators to make their official serial debut on Kakao Page, and is a space where both new and established writers can write freely. We are working to expand the creator ecosystem by running ‘Page GO’, a writer training program that allows you to debut on Kakao Page right away, and ‘Stage ON’, which receives monthly manuscript fees through screening even before debut. In addition, we plan to regularly hold various contests, including the ‘Stage Web Novel Contest 2022’ held in February this year.
Since its launch in September of last year through contests and writer support programs operated by Stage, approximately 140 writers have received support for their debut or writing works, and about 50 of them have become official serial writers on Kakao Page. Popular works being serialized on Kakao Page, such as ‘A Genius Idol, But Her Passive Is Sunfish’, ‘National Intelligence Service Agent Reincarnated as a Genius Actor’, and ‘The Main Character of the Novel I Read Was a Constellation’ are all works that debuted through the stage writer training program.
In addition, the winning works of the ‘Stage Web Novel Contest 2022’ held in February this year, such as ‘Goddess of the Frontier’ and ‘Harok the Savage Warrior’, are also being serialized on Kakao Page.
The ‘Stage College Student Web Novel Contest 2022’, which will be held this time, was planned with the purpose of discovering capable new Generation Z writers with trendy and novel ideas. It seems to be an even more special opportunity in that it provides an opportunity to debut as an actual web novel writer, rather than a contest to build experience or pre-employment qualifications.
A total of 45 million won in prize money will be paid to the 9 winning works, and all are guaranteed to be officially serialized on Kakao Page. The winning genres are 4 works in fantasy/modern fantasy/martial arts, 4 works in romance/romance fantasy/BL, and 1 work in the free genre. Since the submitted work will be publicly serialized on stage, it will be released not only to the judges but also to general readers, and real-time reader reactions and comments can be checked.
The application period is from December 27th to February 13th, 2023, and the final winners will be judged and announced on March 28th. Those eligible to apply are those currently enrolled at a domestic university or graduate school or students on leave of absence as of the application date. Corporations such as publishers and management, rather than minors or individual writers, are not eligible to apply.
The contest categories are ▲Fantasy ▲Modern Fantasy ▲Martial Arts ▲Romance ▲Romance Fantasy ▲BL ▲Freedom (Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction, Horror, Drama). Multiple works can also be submitted. The length of each episode is approximately 4,500 characters including spaces, and the required serialization and expected completion length vary depending on the recruitment genre.
Hwang Hyun-soo, CEO of Kakao Entertainment’s story division, said, “Stage is a stage where people who dream of becoming web novel writers can demonstrate their abilities to the fullest, and it is showing meaningful results by creating about 50 writers in about a year after its launch. “Because it is possible to debut on other platforms through the stage, the actual number of artists born is expected to far exceed this,” he said. “I am looking forward to seeing the novel and unique works of college students, and I am looking forward to seeing promising young artists in this contest.” “I look forward to the birth of a writer.”
Meanwhile, more detailed information can be found in the Kakao Page Stage announcement, and from December 27th, when applications begin, additional screening criteria and FAQs will be disclosed, and a stage inquiry reception center will be operated.
Source: Pangyo Techno Valley Official Newsroom
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