Yeongcheon, a city in North Gyeongsang Province, won the top prize in the Instagram category for basic local governments at the Social i-Award 2026, hosted by the Korea Internet Professionals Association, marking its third consecutive year claiming the honor, the city announced Tuesday.
The Social i-Award is South Korea's most prestigious social media awards program, evaluating platforms including Instagram on innovation and service quality. This year, a panel of more than 4,000 internet professionals took part in the judging.
Yeongcheon earned high marks for consistently engaging with residents through its official Instagram account, sharing content that highlights city news, local festivals, tourist attractions and regional specialties.
As of early July, the city's Instagram account had around 16,000 followers. Yeongcheon also operates a citizen reporter group and maintains active channels on YouTube, Facebook and a blog to provide residents with useful information on city affairs, culture and tourism.
"Winning the top Instagram prize for three consecutive years is the result of our efforts to actively communicate with residents and promote the appeal of Yeongcheon," Mayor Kim Byeong-sam said. "We will continue to engage more closely with citizens through diverse content and do our utmost to raise the brand value of Yeongcheon."
kbj7653@heraldcorp.com
