A competition will be held to recognize outstanding achievements by individuals, villages, businesses, and organizations that have contributed to the transformation of fishing villages. A total prize of 26 million won will be awarded to those who have promoted tourism, cooperative growth, and settlement in fishing communities.
On September 25, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Fishing Village and Port Corporation announced the '2026 Fishing Village Vitalization Best Practices Contest.' The awards will include six from the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries and a total of 18 prizes, with a total prize pool of 26 million won.
The competition will be divided into three categories: fishing village tourism, regional coexistence, and fishing village settlement, with five subcategories. In the fishing village tourism category, three managers who have contributed to the activation of fishing experience and leisure villages and two marine interpreters who have improved the quality of fishing tourism through professional guidance will be selected.
In the regional coexistence category, three cases will be chosen where villages and businesses or organizations have utilized their capabilities and resources to bring about tangible changes in fishing villages. Finally, in the fishing village settlement category, five individuals who have settled stably in fishing villages and grown alongside the local community, as well as five fishing villages that have created open communities where returnees, multicultural residents, and existing locals coexist, will be recognized.
Applications will be accepted until October 23. The selection process will involve document reviews and presentations based on evaluation criteria for each category. The document review will include quantitative achievements such as activity records, while the presentation review will comprehensively assess factors such as field relevance, community contribution, sustainability, and potential for expansion.
Details regarding eligibility requirements, submission forms, and application procedures can be found on the Marine Travel website.
The selected best practices will be awarded at the '19th Fishing Village Advancement Conference' scheduled for December 3-4. The award-winning practices will serve as exemplary models for revitalizing fishing areas across the country.
Hong Jong-wook, the head of the corporation, stated, "I believe that the transformation of fishing villages begins with small efforts on the ground. Through this competition, we aim to discover excellent cases from various fishing villages and actively disseminate those experiences and achievements to inspire new changes in other fishing communities."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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