These are the 10 webtoons that won the main prize at the inaugural World Webtoon Festival in Seoul.

By Xu Aiying
Photos = 2024 World Webtoon Festival

The inaugural World Webtoon Festival will run from Sept. 26-29 in the Seongsu-dong neighborhood of Seoul's Seongdong-gu District.

Organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and announced in January under a policy to develop the domestic cartoon and webtoon industry, the event seeks to raise the country's standing as a webtoon power and boost global awareness of the genre.

The 16 webtoon companies to participate in the festival include global leaders like Naver Webtoon and Kakao Entertainment, and will also sell items and hold exhibitions and interactive programs.

To be given on the first day of the festival, the awards go to winners worldwide to promote the value of outstanding webtoons and raise the esteem of those in the sector.

A panel of 10 judges selected 10 main and three special prize winners from among 104 submissions through an open public contest and nominations. The ceremony will name one grand and one jury prize winner from among the 10.

Interactive and stage events will include a talk on Sept. 27 with Korean American Kymber Lim, the founder of the drama and movie company MAJYK Studios, on Hollywood's growing fascination with Korean webtoons.

A webtoonist and a YouTuber on Sept. 28 will hold a "talk concert," followed the next day by dubbing for webtoon characters and live drawing by popular emoticon artists.

Those interested in attending the free festival can make reservations online or on-site. More information is on the event's official website (wefe.kr) and Instagram account (@wefe2024_official).

The inaugural World Webtoon Festival will be held from Sept. 26-29 in the Seongsu-dong neighborhood of Seoul's Seongdong-gu District.