credit: hangeul-festa.org

‘Write your language in Hangeul’ video contest

Eligibility and contest schedule

• Hangeul Festa is a festival where foreigners write their language in Hangeul.
• Sing or tell a story in your language, transcribe it into Hangeul, and create a YouTube video to share.
• You can choose to compete in one of three categories: singing, storytelling, or expert category.
• You may use 'Hunmin-Jeongeum-based​ Hangeul' to accurately represent your language. However, in the expert category, 'Hunmin-Jeongeum-based​ Hangeul' must be used exclusively.
• 'Hunmin-Jeongeum-based Hangeul' refers to the old Korean writing style. You can use characters that are no longer in use today or create combinations of characters not present in current Hangeul. More detailed explanations can be found at Reference Sources.
• Some people use 'ㆄ' to write the sound [f], while others use 'ᅋᅠ'. Even for the same sound, different people can develop different Hangeul writing methods. You can also freely combine individual characters like ᄹᅠ[st] or ᅟᆃ[ou].​
• In the application form submitted with the video, you may also provide an explanation of  the Hangeul you have written. Also, write the names and pronunciations of individual characters in your language in Hangeul. This is a mandatory requirement for expert category challengers.
• If working alone is challenging, seek assistance from Korean teachers or experts. You can collaborate with them as a team and submit joint projects. Each supervisor can only guide one person/team.​
• All languages except Korean are acceptable.

■ Eligibility

• All foreigners who know Korean
• Both residents of Korea and those living abroad are eligible
• Individuals whose native language is Korean, even if they are citizens of foreign countries, are excluded

• Your submission must feature your own voice.
• While multiple people can form a team to participate, only one person's name can be submitted as the representative.
• The representative is the main voice in the video.
• Each individual can submit only one entry.
• Multiple individuals cannot submit entries using the same email address.
• Koreans can only participate as guiding teachers for projects and cannot directly submit entries. (Each supervisor can only guide one person/ team.)​

■ Contest Schedule

• Submission Period: April 1, 2024 - August 15, 2024
• Announcement of Winners: October 1, 2024 (To be posted on this website)​
• Awards Ceremony: To be announced

■ How to Enter

• Produce a video according to the category you wish to compete in.
• Upload your video to YouTube and set its visibility to 'Public'.
• Download [Shortcut]​ the application form posted and fill it out.
• Share the link to your video and upload the completed application form via "Submit [Shortcut​]​".

Contest categories

■ Categories and Content (Choose one category to enter)

① Be a Singer (Write Song Lyrics in Hangeul)

Compete by singing a song in your language and adding subtitles in Hangeul to create a video entry.

• Song to Sing: Choose one of the designated songs or a freely chosen song that fits the given theme.
• Designated Song: Cute Little One (Eng. Paul and His Chickens)
• Freely Chosen Song:
• Theme: Lullaby
• Length: Between 1 minute and 3 minutes
• Designated Song: The designated song "Cute Little One" is a Korean adaptation of the Norwegian folk song "Pål sine høner." Any song with a similar origin, possessing a melody resembling this designated song and widely popular in your country, is eligible. Since lyrics and melodies may vary depending on regions or communities, feel free to choose a version familiar to you.
• **An accompaniment track [Shortcut]
• [We have provided copyright-free backing tracks and sheet music in the “Available resources”. Feel free to use them.]
• Freely Chosen Song: Select one of the lullabies widely known in your language and culture.
• Tip! A song that excessively repeats the same phrase may be disadvantaged in evaluation.
• How to Create the Video
• Sing the chosen song in your language.
• Create three sets of subtitles corresponding to the song:
• First Line: Write your sung lyrics in the characters of your language.
• Second Line: Write the sound of your sung lyrics in Hangeul. You may use Hunmin-Jeongeum-based Hangeul if preferred.
• Third Line: Translate the content of your sung lyrics into Korean.
• ※Please avoid using the lyrics of that Korean song directly. Please translate your sung lyrics into Korean yourself.
• At the beginning of the video, say in your voice ‘what language’ the song is sung in and ‘what title’ it has, and also write it in subtitles.
• Refer to the example video below.

② Be a Storyteller (Write Story in Hangeul)

Compete by telling a story in your language and adding subtitles in Hangeul to create a video entry.

• Story to Tell: Free Story
• Theme: The origin of the world, a nation, or your ethnicity
• Tell a story about how the world, your country, or your ethnicity came into being. ※Creation stories written in the scriptures of well-known religions worldwide are not included.
• Length: Between 2 minutes and 5 minutes
• How to Create the Video
• Tell the chosen story in your language.
• Write three sets of subtitles corresponding to the content:
• First Line: Write what you're saying in your language's characters.
• Second Line: Write the sound of your spoken words in Hangeul. You may use Hunmin-Jeongeum-based Hangeul if preferred.
• Third Line: Translate what you've said into Korean.
• At the beginning of the video, say in your voice ‘what language’ you are speaking in and ‘what title’ the story is about, and  and also write it in subtitles.
• Refer to the example video below.

③ Expert Challenge Category

Write the Lyrics of Your Country's 'National Anthem' in Hunmin-Jeongeum-based Hangeul.

• Content to Submit:  The lyrics of your country's 'national anthem'. Write the lyrics of your country's 'national anthem' in Hunmin-Jeongeum-based Hangeul.
• How to Create the Video
• Recite or sing the national anthem of your country.
• Write three sets of subtitles corresponding to the content of the anthem:
• First Line: Write the lyrics of your country's national anthem in the characters of your language.
• Second Line: Write the sound of the anthem's lyrics in Hunmin-Jeongeum-based Hangeul that you've devised.
• Third Line: Translate the lyrics of the anthem into Korean.
• At the beginning of the video, say in your voice what language the song i in and the title of the anthem you're reciting or singing, and also write it in subtitles.
• Refer to the format of the videos in the singing or storytelling categories.

■ When creating and uploading your video on YouTube, please follow these guidelines:

• At the beginning of the video, write in 'your language' and the title of the video, and include the following image (download [shortcut]). Place the logo/ image at the same location as shown in the sample video.
• When uploading to YouTube, include the phrase "Hangeul Festa 2024" in the title of the video.
• Set a screen displaying the [Hangeul Festa 2024] logo as the thumbnail.
• It is recommended to use images or audio that you have created yourself. However, if you use other images or videos, make sure there are no copyright issues. If sourced from elsewhere, include in the description of the uploaded YouTube video the source and copyright information.

■ Guidelines for Completing the Application Form

• Please fill out the application form in Korean or English.
• You are free to write as much as you want. Please provide detailed information to showcase your ideas and efforts.
• The blue text (instructions) on the application form  and the example images are provided to assist you, so delete them and write when completing the application form.
• Download the application form​

Selection Criteria and Awards 

■ Awards (Total prize money of $62,000 and certificates)

• Grand Prize: 1 person, $10,000
• 1st Place: 2 people, $5,000 each
• 2nd Place: 3 people (1 from each category), $3,000 each
• 3rd Place: 3 people (1 from each category), $1,000 each
• 4th Place: 30 people, $500 each
• 5th Place: 60 people, $250 each

■ Evaluation Criteria

• Accuracy (30%): Consistency and accuracy of Hangeul transcription for language sounds
• Efficiency (20%): The transcription method is straightforward and convenient
• Creativity (20%): The method introduced for accurate transcription is creative and reasonable
• Artistry (30%): The content and composition of the video work are appropriate and aesthetically outstanding
• There may be no top-winning entries depending on the judging results.

Attention

■ Precautions When Submitting Entries

• You can only submit an entry in one category, and only one work can be submitted.
• Even if multiple submissions are made on the website, only the first submission will be accepted.
• The video must be recorded with your own voice.
• Subtitles in the video must include 'your language - Hangeul transcription - translated into Korean' for all spoken content.
• If there is no official character for your language, you can write in another script you are familiar with.
• Submitted videos must be created during this year's submission period.
• Make sure there are no copyright issues with any background music or images used. If there are copyright issues, the award may be revoked without warning.
• Music or images provided in the 'Available Resources [Shortcut]' section of the official website can be freely used.
• Submit your entry only as a YouTube link.
• Copyright for the winning entries belongs to the winners. However, the organizers hold the rights to use the works.
• Winners are responsible for any taxes and fees associated with the prize. Taxes and fees vary depending on the country.
• If ed as a winner, please ensure there are no issues with receiving the prize via a dollar account in advance.
• Once the winners are announced, we will request the original copy of your work. Please keep it safe and do not it in advance.

■ Inquiries

If you have any further questions, please send us an email (Email: 1009festa@gmail.com)