WEBTOON Announces “Webcomic Legends” Contest with Over $1 Million in Cash Prizes

By: WEBTOON Entertainment via Business Wire

November 20, 2024 at 08:00 AM EST

Launching in spring 2025, the contest will celebrate 40 outstanding webcomic entries with cash prizes and the chance to join the WEBTOON Originals program

WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. (“WEBTOON”), a leading global entertainment company and home to some of the world’s largest storytelling platforms, is on the hunt for the next wave of visionary webcomic creators with “Webcomic Legends,” a new contest with over USD $1 million in prizes. The contest will highlight emerging talent on WEBTOON’s CANVAS platform, rewarding 40 outstanding webcomics with cash prizes and the opportunity to join the WEBTOON Originals program.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241120179064/en/

WEBTOON's 2025 Contest: Webcomic Legends (Graphic: Business Wire)

Launching in March 2025, creators from around the world can submit to “Webcomic Legends” on WEBTOON’s English language CANVAS platform. Future legends can submit stories across four genre categories: Most Epic (Action/Fantasy); Most Feels (Romance/Drama); Most Laughs (Comedy/Slice of Life); and Most Gripping (Horror/Thriller/Mystery/Supernatural). Entries will be evaluated by a combination of scoring from a panel of expert judges, including WEBTOON’s in-house editorial team and select WEBTOON Originals creators, and audience appeal and engagement.

The “Webcomic Legends” prize breakdown includes:

Grand Prize Winner (1): a total of $150,000
Genre Winners (3): a total of $100,000 each
Genre Finalists (12): a total of $35,000 each
Genre Runner-Ups (24): a total of $5,500 each

In addition to the cash prizes, all 40 winners will have the chance to pitch their title to join the WEBTOON Originals lineup, where they can develop their series as an ongoing story with the support of the WEBTOON editorial team.

“WEBTOON is home to a new generation of superstar creators who have built a global audience and fandom for their stories on our platform,” said David S. Lee, Head of US WEBTOON. “We are constantly on the lookout for incredible stories to celebrate and elevate at WEBTOON, and ‘Webcomic Legends’ will continue our tradition of creating opportunities to spotlight diverse new series and talent.”

CANVAS contests have launched the careers of some of WEBTOON’s biggest hit series, including 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.

“Webcomic Legends” will be open to CANVAS creators and ORIGINALS creators who do not currently have a series in progress. Submissions for the contest will open in March 2025 and close in June 2025. Additional details and contest guidelines for “Webcomic Legends” are to be announced later this year.

About WEBTOON Entertainment

WEBTOON Entertainment is a leading global entertainment company and home to some of the world's largest storytelling platforms. As the global leader and pioneer of the mobile webcomic format, WEBTOON Entertainment has transformed comics and visual storytelling for fans and creators.

With its CANVAS UGC platform empowering anyone to become a creator, and a growing roster of superstar WEBTOON Originals creators and series, WEBTOON Entertainment’s passionate fandoms are the new face of pop culture. WEBTOON adaptations are available on Netflix, Prime Video, Crunchyroll, and other screens around the world, and the company’s content partners include Discord, HYBE and DC Comics, among many others.

With approximately 170 million monthly active users (as of the quarter ended June 30, 2024), WEBTOON Entertainment’s IP & Creator Ecosystem of aligned companies include WEBTOON, Wattpad--the world’s leading web-novel platform--Wattpad WEBTOON Studios, Studio N, Studio LICO, WEBTOON Unscrolled, LINE MANGA, and eBookJapan, among others.