Gyeonguk National University's Andong-type Job Creation Project Group announced Saturday that it will hold the "2026 Startup Competition" at the Social Sciences Building on the Andong campus on Thursday.
Organized by the city of Andong and the Andong-type Job Creation Project Group, the competition aims to uncover startup ideas that reflect the characteristics of local industries and support talented entrepreneurs in launching their businesses.
The competition covers three categories: A (Agriculture — farming, agri-food and smart agriculture), B (Bio — biotech, health and life sciences) and C (Culture — culture, tourism and content).
A total of 16 teams will compete in the finals — eight in the university student division and eight in the general public pre-startup division. Participants will be evaluated on creativity and commercialization potential through idea presentations and expert Q&A sessions.
The event will open with a ceremony at 9:30 a.m., followed by divisional presentations and judging, and conclude with an awards ceremony.
The total purse is 15.4 million won ($11,500). The grand prize winner in the university student division will receive the Andong Mayor's Award and 1 million won, while the grand prize winner in the pre-startup division will receive the Andong Mayor's Award and 5 million won.
Grand prize and excellence award winners who go on to launch a business in Andong and apply to the project group's startup support program will receive bonus points, as part of a broader effort to help promising ideas become real ventures and take root in the region.
Song Jun-hyeop, head of the Andong-type Job Creation Project Group at Gyeonguk National University, said the competition was designed to help creative ideas translate into actual startups and businesses. "We will strengthen our support system to identify outstanding entrepreneurial talent in the region and help them settle and grow stably in Andong," Song said.
kbj7653@heraldcorp.com
