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WEBTOON to Host Contest With Total Prize Pool of US$1 Million
posted on by Wonhee Cho
WEBTOON has announced the "WEBTOON 2025 Contest: Webcomic Legends" with a total prize pool of US$1 million.
Participants can submit their works in four different categories: Most Feels (romance and drama), Most Epic (action and fantasy), Most Gripping (horror, thriller, mystery, and supernatural), and Most Laughs (comedy and slice of life).
The Grand Prize Winner will receive US$150,000, while three Genre Winners will get US$100,000 each. Up to 12 Genre Finalists will be awarded $35,000 each, and up to 24 Genre Runner-Ups will receive US$5,500 each. In addition to the cash prizes, the Grand Prize Winner, Genre Winners, and Genre Finalists will have their series developed into ongoing titles on WEBTOON's English-language platform. Genre Runner-Ups will also have the opportunity to pitch their titles to WEBTOON's US Editorial Team for a chance to join the WEBTOON Originals lineup.
The submission requirements depend on the chosen genre. For the Action, Fantasy, Romance, Drama, Horror, Thriller, Mystery, and Supernatural categories, participants must submit at least three episodes with a minimum of 40 panels per episode. For the Comedy and Slice of Life categories, a minimum of six episodes with 15 panels each is required. All episodes must be in English, in full color, and must be original works. Adaptations, stories published in print or by third-party publishers, and works created using generative AI are not eligible. Submissions must comply with WEBTOON's Official Rules, Community Policy, and Terms of Use.
The submission period opens on March 10 at 9:00 p.m. EDT and closes on May 15 at 9:00 p.m. EDT. Up to 10 titles from each genre category will be shortlisted, making a total of 40 shortlisted titles. Entrants will then need to submit additional episodes between June 23 and July 14 for the next stage of judging.
To enter, participants must upload a new series to CANVAS via the Webcomic Legends Contest homepage, selecting one of four categories: Action/Fantasy, Drama/Romance, Thriller/Horror/Supernatural/Mystery, or Comedy/Slice of Life. A series can only compete in one genre category, but participants can submit different series to different categories.
Submissions will be judged by a panel of WEBTOON editorial staff and WEBTOON Originals creators. The judging criteria include Artwork (20%), Storytelling and Hooks (20%), Impact and Satisfaction (20%), and Audience Appeal and Engagement (40%). The last category considers user engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and read-through rates.
Previous WEBTOON contests have launched popular series like unOrdinary by uru-chan, Cursed Princess Club by LambCat, The Kiss Bet by Ingrid Ochoa, Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell by unfins, and Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur, showcasing the contest's potential to introduce new and successful webcomics to a global audience.
Details can be found HERE.
Source: WEBTOON's event page
