Namyangju Wins Grand Prize at 2016 Next Gyeonggi Creative Audition

Namyangju (Good Morning Prize/1st Place), Gwangmyeong · Gapyeong (Next Prize/2nd, 3rd Place),
Dongducheon · Hwaseong (Creative Prize/4th, 5th Place), Osan · Paju (Innovation Prize/6th, 7th Place) Awarded

Namyangju's "Slow Life Gourmet Tourism" project has won the Good Morning Prize, the grand prize at the 2016 Next Gyeonggi Creative Audition (Special Adjustment Subsidy Competition) held by Gyeonggi Province with 40 billion won at stake.

As a result, Namyangju will receive 7 billion won in special adjustment subsidies.

On the 12th at 9:30 a.m., Gyeonggi Province held the finals of the 3rd Next Gyeonggi Creative Audition at Anseong Namsadang Performance Hall, attended by approximately 500 people including Gyeonggi Province Policy Planning Officer Lee Jae-chul and officials from seven municipalities and counties: Paju, Dongducheon, Gapyeong, Hwaseong, Osan, Gwangmyeong, and Namyangju.

The 2016 Next Gyeonggi Creative Audition began accepting applications in December of last year, receiving 42 project proposals. After two rounds of review, seven finalist teams were selected for the finals.

The judging panel consisted of 20 external experts from various fields, including Ho Geum-ok, chairperson of the Gyeonggi Regional Chapter of the Korean Federation of Business Women, Choi Su-jin, professor of cultural contents at Yong In University, and Seo Gi-man, chairperson of the Gyeonggi Venture Business Association, along with 200 citizen evaluators from the general public.

As a result of the audition judging, following Namyangju in first place, Gwangmyeong's "Upcycle Cultural Industry Cluster Development Project" and Gapyeong's "Cheongpyeong Goul Project: Memories, Romance, and Youth of the 70s and 80s" received the Next Prize for 2nd and 3rd places, respectively. Gwangmyeong will receive 5.5 billion won and Gapyeong will receive 7.9 billion won.

The Creative Prize for 4th and 5th places went to Dongducheon and Hwaseong, respectively. Dongducheon will receive 6.7 billion won for the "Two Dream 5060 Youth Road" project, and Hwaseong will receive 4.9 billion won for the "Nono Café Coffee & Business" project.

The Innovation Prize for 6th and 7th places was awarded to Osan and Paju, respectively. Osan will receive 4.9 billion won for the "Odogsodoc: Character Edu-town Development Project—Transforming Abandoned Land into Land of Hope and Happiness," and Paju will receive 3.1 billion won for the "Majang Lake Shu Project."

The Next Gyeonggi Creative Audition was established last year to enhance budget efficiency through innovation in the special adjustment subsidy support system and to concentrate budgets on regional issues.

In the 2nd audition held last year, Gwangmyeong's "Gwangmyeong Cave Soars to the World" project won the grand Good Morning Prize and received 10 billion won in special adjustment subsidies.